Zorro's Challenge
by lil Didi
Summary: A handsome stranger visits the pueblo and befriends Victoria, but Zorro has doubts about the man's true purpose.
1. Chapter 1

**Zorro****'s Challenge**

Chapter One

The Arrival

The pueblo of Los Angeles was quiet except for the slow, methodical tolling of the church bell. A few late comers scrambled off horses and out of carriages, and hurried through the great doors of the church. As the doors closed behind the last person, the bell fell silent.

A lone sentry paced in front of the pueblo gates, but became bored very quickly and decided to sit in the shade of the wall. While the morning was still cool, the bright sunshine promised a hot day ahead and he figured he may as well enjoy the shade now, while the alcalde was at mass. Otherwise he would not dare to be so casual on duty. The _loco _alcalde would probably have him flogged if he was caught sitting down while on duty. But with nearly everyone in the pueblo inside the church, he did not see any danger in relaxing while he had the chance. Leaning his musket against the wall, he drew a small block of wood and knife from his pocket. He quickly lost himself in his carving.

The only other activity in the plaza was a guard at the armory gate, who lazily marched a few steps, then turned and took a few back to his starting point. His musket rested on his shoulder casually as he paced back and forth. The rest of the garrison was either still asleep or in the church. The plaza was empty, the fountain at its center the only movement as water bubbled cheerfully from several spouts into the pool at the base.

The armory guard grew bored just as quickly as the guard at the pueblo gate and stopped pacing long enough to prop his musket upright on the ground. He leaned on it and dozed in the sunshine. He didn't notice the shadow that crossed the courtyard of the garrison as a lone figure crept along the roof to the office of the alcalde. Soundlessly, the figure climbed in through a window and disappeared. After what seemed like an eternity, the same figured emerged, attaching a newly liberated pouch of gold to his hip. One hand carefully held the pouch against his body, preventing the coins from jingling and alerting the sentry to his presence. Lifting himself back up to the roof, he was out of sight as quickly as he arrived.

When the church bell began tolling once again over an hour later, the doors of the church opened and Padre Benitez stepped out into the bright sunshine. He was followed quickly by the town citizens, each stopping to compliment the priest on yet another inspiring sermon. He smiled at each one, reminding some that it had been too long since he had seen them at confession.

Slowly, the people drifted off to their horses and carriages, with only a few staying in the plaza to talk. No one seemed to notice the lone stranger lingering near his horse, arranging his saddle bags, and carefully slipping a small pouch into one of the bags. His hat was pulled low over his eyes, but under the brim he watched as each person came out of the church, listening as the padre called them each by name.

As Don Diego de la Vega stepped out of the church, he gave the padre a big smile. He enjoyed listening to the padre's sermons, amazed at how the clergyman could mix the word of God with the wonders of nature. Their mutual respect and love of nature and all the creatures living in it had helped them form a fast friendship. Many times, Diego had found a whole day had been lost to a conversation with the padre.

"Don Diego, it is good to see you, as always," the padre said. He smiled in thanks as Diego dropped a few coins into the poor box. "The de la Vega's always set such a good example to our citizens," he said sincerely.

Standing some distance away, the stranger perked up when he heard the de la Vega name, but he masked his interest by fumbling with the cinch on his saddle. He watched the movements of the man standing next to the padre from under the rim of his hat.

Diego's father, Don Alejandro, stepped up to the padre, placing a hand on the robed arm of the priest fondly. The beautiful tavern owner, Victoria Escalante, stood next to him. The two had been laughing at some shared joke when they stepped up to greet Padre Benitez. "Excellent service, as usual, padre," Alejandro said still smiling.

The old priest looked up toward the bell tower, the bell still ringing loudly. He must speak to his alter boy, Pedro, again about his enthusiasm for ringing the new bell.

Gracias, Don Alejandro." The priest winced as the bell grew louder. "Will you please excuse me? I think it is time to remind Pedro that the new mission bell will be here for a very long time, he need not try to ring it all at once."

As Padre Benitez went off in search of his wayward altar boy, Diego steered his father and Victoria toward the waiting carriage. He gave a brief glance around for his servant, Felipe, but knew the boy would be along shortly. He had wandered off with some of his friends as soon as the mass had ended, but Diego knew the boy wouldn't go far. As they moved, he caught the eye of a stranger he had not seen before. Even though the man wore his hat low, their eyes met for a brief moment, but the other man looked away quickly and mounted his horse, heading for the pueblo gates. Diego watched him, his senses alert. It was pure habit for him to notice new faces in the pueblo, ever alert for any possible danger to the little town. Something about this stranger was alerting him now, though he didn't know why. He would have to keep a sharp eye out, to see if this man returned and what his business was.

"So, Victoria, will you be joining us for dinner today?" he asked his beautiful friend as soon as the man was out of sight.

Victoria flashed him a smile. "Of course, I could hardly refuse an invitation to eat with the de la Vega's," she joked.

Diego couldn't help but return the smile. An opportunity to spend an afternoon with Victoria was welcome in his eyes.

"Wonderful," Alejandro said. "You can ride back to the hacienda with us and Diego can bring you back this afternoon."

"Gracias, Don Alejandro."

Diego put a hand on her elbow and lightly guided her to their carriage.

As he scanned the plaza for the mysterious stranger, Felipe appeared at his side. He saw where Diego was looking and gave his friend a questioning glance. Diego merely shrugged and turned his attention back to helping Victoria into the carriage, looking forward to an entire afternoon with the woman he secretly loved.

Stephano Mercado rode through the pueblo gates, giving the sentry on duty a quick nod. He had no love of soldiers, but was not worried that the guard would try to stop him, knowing that they cared more about strangers coming into the pueblo than those that were leaving.

He spurred his horse, wanting to hurry ahead of the carriage that he now knew carried the de la Vega's. He needed to find a secluded spot where he could conceal himself and wait for the carriage to catch up. With any luck, he would be able to follow them to the de la Vega hacienda. He needed to have a better understanding of this family before his men arrived in a few days.

It was said that the de la Vegas were the richest landowners in the area, perhaps in all of Alta California. While picking such a target was against his better judgment, he knew he had to at least look into it, as the men requested. They had become restless lately, cocky even, but it wouldn't do to pick a target that would have half the territory chasing after them. He would have to watch this situation carefully before making a decision, but knew his time was short. His men were on their way.

Finally, he found a spot that would be perfect to wait for the carriage. He dismounted and let his horse reach down to pluck at the soft grass, confident that the bushes kept them well concealed from the road and anyone passing by. It was several minutes before the carriage, making slow progress, came into view. The four passengers seemed to be more interested in talking than driving, and it was all Stephano could do to not fidget with impatience. Finally, though, the carriage went by the man silently waiting for them, the foursome oblivious that they were being watched. Impatient, Stephano remounted and trailed behind, staying off the road and well into the trees and bushes, but always keeping the carriage in sight. Even though he trailed behind them at some distance, he could hear the occasional bits of laughter from the foursome in the carriage. With a sigh, the stranger followed, knowing it was going to be a long afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Victoria's Guest

Victoria closed the tavern door behind Don Diego and slid the bolt into place. She had a smile on her face, remembering the pleasant afternoon she had spent with her friends.

The meal had been sumptuous, made even more so by the fact that she did not have to cook it. It was widely known that the de la Vega cook, Maria, was one of the best in the territory, In fact, Victoria and Maria often shared ideas and recipes, which was part of the reason Victoria was also known as one of the best cooks around. But since Victoria spent the rest of the week cooking for others, she was happy to be on the giving end of the compliments today, rather than receiving them.

She had also enjoyed the time with her friends. Diego had been very attentive to her all day, even helping her when they got back to the tavern restock the shelves behind her bar, carrying several crates of wine up from the cellar for her. They had talked as they worked and had even lost track of the time. Before they knew it, the sun was going down and Diego knew his father would start to worry if he didn't return to the hacienda soon.

Diego was such a good friend to her. Victoria appreciated all of the little things he did for people in the pueblo, she being no exception. He was by far the most educated man in the pueblo, perhaps the entire territory and he put his knowledge to good use. He was always such a gentleman with her. She just sometimes wished he displayed a little more…action.

Victoria returned to the bar and put away the last of the bottles of wine. She was about to blow out the candles and head to her room for an early night for a change, when she heard a soft knocking at the door. Thinking that it was Diego returning for something, she did not stop to pick up the club she kept behind the bar. It was a precaution that was unfortunately a necessity, being a woman alone. Instead she went straight to the door, slid back the lock, and swung it open with a small laugh.

"What did you forget this time, Dieg-"

She stopped abruptly when she realized it wasn't Diego standing at her door, and for a moment, fear clutched her heart. The man in front of her was tall, dressed in dark colors with a saddle bag tossed over his shoulder. He wore a dark hat, but when she opened the door, he was looking down and she could not see his face. But at her abrupt stop, the man slowly raised his head and she got a good look at him.

He was handsome, she could see that even in the dim light. His hair, which flowed from under his hat to his shoulders was dark, but his eyes were light. He wore a beard, trimmed close, but his face had a thin coating of dust on it, as did his clothes. It looked as if he had been in the saddle for a long while.

"Buenas noches," he said in a deep voice.

Victoria shook herself free from her startlement. "Buenas noches, senor." She closed the door slightly, so that it wasn't quite so wide open, and suddenly regretted her haste in not grabbing some kind of weapon.

The man's eyebrows rose slightly, but he gave no other indication that he had noticed the move. "I saw that a candle still burned in your windows. I was hoping I might trouble you for a night's lodging?"

Victoria hesitated but the man quickly went on. "I know your sign says closed, but I saw a man leaving a few minutes ago as I came into town and thought perhaps if you hadn't quite closed up for the night…" He sighed. "It has been a long day and I was hoping for a warm place to sleep. I will pay you extra, for causing you any trouble."

Again, Victoria hesitated. He had kind eyes, this stranger, and even though it was against her better judgment, she was tempted to let him in. He wore no sword and she did not see any other weapon on him. She bit her lower lip, considering.

It was the smile of the stranger that finally made the decision for her. He gave her a shy grin that showed a dimple on his cheek and she felt herself giving in. Before she could say yes, he turned to go.

"It's alright if you cannot, senorita. I will find a spot outside of town. Perhaps if I am still here tomorrow, I can come back during business hours."

Victoria held out a hand to stop. "No, it's…it's alright, you can come in. I have rooms available."

"Gracias," he breathed. His smile stayed in place, but he looked over his shoulder toward his horse. "Is there a stable I can put my horse in for the night?"

"The blacksmith has a stable, but he is not open on Sunday, either. I have a small stable and corral in back. You can put him there for tonight. Just go around the side of the building right there," she said pointing. "I will open the back door for you."

He gave her a grateful nod and stepped off the small porch into the darkness. Victoria shut the door and replaced the lock, berating herself for being so careless. But she did not feel any fear from this man, and while her head told her to grab the small club anyway, her heart won out and she marched into the kitchen empty handed. She busied herself preparing for tomorrow until she heard the soft knock at the kitchen door some time later. She opened it and let the man step inside.

He smiled at her again, and she returned it easily. "What is your name, senor?" she asked as she led him back into the tavern proper.

"Stephano."

She retrieved a room key from behind the bar and grabbed one of the lit candles, heading for the stairs. "Just Stephano?"

"Mercado if you must know, but I prefer just Stephano." He said it with amusement in voice. "If I get too many Senor Mercado's, I tend to look around for my father."

Victoria laughed lightly at that. "Very well, Stephano it is. And I am Victoria. I'm sorry I can't offer you any late supper, but I don't usually serve on Sundays."

He shrugged.

"Where are you traveling from?"

"South," was the vague answer she received, but she did not press it. She opened the door to one of her rooms and gestured him inside.

"The room is five pesos a night. I will bring you a fresh pitcher of water and some linens. I can have some breakfast for you in the morning if you wish."

He shook his head, taking the offered candle from her and looking around the room. "Gracias, but I must leave very earlier tomorrow. I am meeting someone…in San Pedro."

"I will be just a moment, then," she said as she slipped back down the stairs to get him a pitcher of water. She was a little disappointed that she wouldn't see him in the morning. The handsome stranger was drawing her curiosity. He seemed very nice and was definitely polite. But she knew from past experience that even the worst of men could pour on the charm, when they wanted to. She would have to remind herself to stay cautious of this man, at least until she found out a little more about him.

Before returning to his room, she extinguished the remaining candles, keeping one for herself. When she returned to his room, he took the pitcher and handed her ten pesos. When she gave him a questioning look, he gave her that shy grin again.

"My horse pays his way as well."

She returned the smile and nodded her thanks. "My room is just down the hall if you need anything else."

With that she retreated to her own room. She fell asleep easily and did not hear the door down the hall open up several hours later as her guest slipped downstairs to the kitchen. Nor did she hear the returning footsteps several minutes later. If she had heard them and opened her door to check, she may have seen the handsome stranger with his hands full of food from her kitchen sneaking back into his room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

A Thief Among Us

"Mendoza!"

"Oh, no," Sergeant Mendoza mumbled as he got up from his seat in the tavern. "This can't be good." He took a last bite of the delicious tamales in front of him then hurried out the tavern door. He nearly ran over his friend Don Diego in his rush to get to the alcalde_._

"Oh, excuse me, Don Diego," he said. "But I am in a hurry."

"Yes, I heard," Diego said, an amused smile on his face as he watched the sergeant rush across the plaza. It would be interesting to hear what the alcalde's problem was this time, but he would have to wait for the sergeant's return to find out.

He entered the tavern and his eyes immediately sought out Victoria. It was almost reflex with him, but as soon as he saw her, he relaxed just slightly. He walked over to an empty table and waited for her to notice him. As soon as she did, she gave him a little wave, indicating she would be over shortly.

After delivering two more trays of food, Victoria made her way over to Diego. She gave him a welcoming smile and took the opportunity to sit down for a moment. The rush was just about over and she knew most of her guests would be wandering off for siesta soon.

"Busy morning?" he asked her.

"No more than usual. But I did have to make some extra bread this morning. And prepare more fruit. I thought I had enough, but I ran out this morning." Her brow creased for a moment as she thought. "I think Mendoza has been sneaking into my kitchen again."

Diego smiled. Mendoza had been caught in Victoria's kitchen more than once, but her scolding never seemed to deter him.

"It feels good to sit for a moment."

Even on her 'slow' days, Victoria usually kept up a good crowd at the tavern. Diego was amazed at how hard she worked, yet was able to keep up a friendly banter with her guests. He wasn't surprised that she needed a break now and then. Sometimes just watching her made him tired.

"Have you come in for some lunch, Diego?"

He shook his head. "No, just some lemonade perhaps. I'm waiting for Felipe to return from San Pedro. He went to pick up a package for my father this morning. I expect him back anytime."

"Oh, my guest went to San Pedro this morning, too."

"Guest?"

"_Si_, I had someone arrive last night needing a room." She saw his look of disapproval and gave him a shrug. "I couldn't exactly refuse him, now could I?"

Diego was skeptical. He tried to keep an eye out for her, knowing that she could take care of herself in most cases, but he didn't like the idea of a stranger being invited into her establishment on a night that she had supposedly been closed.

At her friend's raised eyebrow, Victoria gave him an exasperated sigh. "I can take care of myself Diego," she said, as if reading his thoughts. "Besides, Stephano was perfectly nice. He even paid me some extra for allowing him to keep his horse in my little stable last night."

"Stephano?" Diego asked, surprised that she was on a first name basis with her guest already. He suddenly found himself wondering what had happened after he left last night.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Stephano Mercado, but he prefers to go by just Stephano. Really Diego, did you not expect me to ask his name?"

Diego shook off the sarcasm. "I just think you need to be careful, Victoria. Wolves often come in sheep's clothing, you know."

She gave him a smile and rose in response to one of her customers waving at her to get her attention. "Please excuse me, Diego. I will be back with your lemonade shortly."

Diego watched as she made the rounds of the room. Most of her guests had left, but there were still a few tables occupied. He watched her as she stopped to talk to people, checking to make sure they didn't need anything else. As he watched, he thought about the man staying at the tavern. He made plans in his mind for Zorro to come tonight and check things out, just to be sure the woman he loved was safe.

As he sat enjoying his lemonade and thinking of Zorro's ride tonight, Felipe entered the tavern carrying a package. He spotted Diego and came to sit next to his friend and mentor.

Diego indicated the box in the servant's hand. "I see you got Father's package. Any trouble on the way?"

Felipe shook his head, but pointed outside, indicating with hand gestures that the soldiers were in the plaza, assembling with their horses.

"The soldiers are getting ready to ride out?" Diego watched as Felipe nodded. "That's interesting. The alcalde was upset about something earlier, but I have no idea what it was about. Let's go take a look."

Diego finished his lemonade and put two coins on the table. He gave Victoria a wave as he and Felipe stepped outside into the bright sunshine. Sure enough, a dozen soldiers sat on their horses, waiting for the sergeant to give them the word to head out.

Mendoza was leading his horse into the plaza, head hanging and shaking back and forth. He was mumbling under his breath. Diego stepped up to his friend and halted him with a hand on the arm.

"Where are you off to now, Sergeant?"

Mendoza shook his head. "Patrol. We are to find the bandit Zorro, or not come back."

"Zorro?" Diego asked. "What has he done now?"

"He stole two hundred pesos from the alcalde."

Diego gave Felipe a brief look before returning to the sergeant. "When did this supposedly occur?"

Mendoza shrugged. "I'm not sure exactly, Don Diego. I just know that the alcalde had a private…um…supply of money and it has been stolen."

"What makes him think Zorro took it?"

Mendoza rolled his eyes. "The alcalde blames everything on Zorro. I'm sorry Don Diego, but I have to go. The sooner we find Zorro, the sooner we can come home."

Diego watched as Mendoza directed half of his men to head south of the pueblo and the other half he took with him to the north. None of the soldiers seemed very enthusiastic about their task.

When the soldiers were out of sight, Felipe grabbed Diego's arm lightly, and signed a question.

Diego shook his head. "I have no idea why Luis Ramon blames Zorro for the loss of his money." He turned back to the tavern, but a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Felipe, did you happen to see a stranger on the road to San Pedro this morning? Coming from the pueblo?"

Felipe shook his head and drew a question mark in the air.

"Just a thought…it's nothing important," he said. _At least I don't think so,_ he thought. "However, it does seem that we have a thief among us. Victoria mentioned some food she had prepared yesterday was missing, and now the alcalde_'s_ money."

Felipe gave him a skeptical look.

"I know. Stolen bread and stolen pesos are not the same thing. But it is an interesting coincidence, is it not?"

Felipe still didn't seem convinced, as he shrugged. Diego put his hand on the young man's shoulder as they walked back to their horses. Zorro would definitely have to keep an eye on the situation, to make sure nothing else disappeared from the pueblo.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Watching and Waiting

Stephano Mercado was hot and frustrated. He wiped a bead of sweat that ran down the side of his face as he road slowly back to the pueblo. The sun would be setting within the hour and he was more than ready to bid the hot day goodbye. As he had done the day before, he had sat on a hill overlooking the de la Vega hacienda, watching the comings and goings of the large hacienda. He was not encouraged by what he had seen. The previous day, he had been surprised by the amount of activity around the hacienda on a Sunday, but nothing compared to what he had seen today.

Using a small spyglass he had won from a ship captain in a poker game, he had watched as vaqueros, servants and guests came and went throughout the day. The number of servants seemed to be minimal for such a large hacienda, but there were more than enough vaqueros to make up for it. And even more surprising had been the number of guests that came by. The hacienda was on one of the main roads, but most of the guests were other dons from the area. Probably coming to ask advice or plea for some sort of help was Stephano's guess.

As he rode, he thought about his men. He had two dozen men altogether, but several of them had stayed at home in Baja, unwilling to leave their families for such a long and risky venture. He couldn't blame them. He hadn't wanted to come here either, but his younger brother, Enrique, had insisted. If they did somehow find a way to rob the de la Vega estate, he would make sure that the men left at home received enough to feed their families when they got home. And he would never again allow his brother to push him into something so foolish.

Stephano suppressed a growl of frustration. The hacienda was a busy place, it would not be easy to find a way in, without bloodshed. Enrique wouldn't care, but Stephano would insist if they did this, it would be without a fight. His younger brother was too quick to kill, and Stephano would have to keep a tight rein on his arrogant sibling. The death of a de la Vega would not be taken lightly and they would have to take care not to have every soldier in the territory after them when this was through.

The gates of the pueblo came into view and he sighed in relief. He was looking forward to spending the rest of the evening in the presence of the beautiful tavern owner. He had thought for a moment last night that she would turn him away when he knocked on her door, but something had changed her mind and she had let him in. He felt bad for stealing her food last night, and he planned on slipping her some extra pesos tonight to make up for it. While he hadn't thought about it last night due to his overwhelming hunger, he had plenty of time to think today as he sat on the hill and the guilt over stealing from her had sunk in. He had only known her for one night, but the thought of disappointing her did not sit well with him.

As he approached the gate, Stephano realized there were two guards waiting. He groaned softly. They watched as he approached and beckoned him to stop.

"What is your name, senor?" the taller guard asked him.

"What's yours?" Stephano snapped in response.

The second guard took a firmer grip on his musket. "Answer the question, senor."

Stephano sighed. He hated soldiers. He had a pistol in his saddle bags and had worn his sword, but also had a knife attached to his forearm with a strap, hidden within his sleeve. He could take out both soldiers with just the knife before they even had a chance to blink, but it would draw unwanted attention.

"Stephano Mercado," he finally answered.

"Where do you come from, senor Mercado, and where are you going?" the taller asked.

"South and into the pueblo, what does it look like?"

The soldiers shared an annoyed look between them but did not seem to notice that the direction he rode from was not the south. "You must pay the traveler's tax."

"What traveler's tax?"

"Fifteen pesos, or we will take you to the cuartel and you can explain it to the alcalde."

Stephano reached into his pocket. Normally he would tell the soldiers where they could go with their 'traveler's tax', but since he was paying the tax with money stolen from their own alcalde, he had no problem giving a few pesos back. Besides, now that he knew where the alcalde kept his money, he knew he could always steal it back, if he needed it. He had to hide his smile as he flipped the coins to the waiting soldier. Without waiting for permission, he urged his horse forward and continued into the pueblo.

The tavern was busy tonight. Sergeant Montoya and some of his men took up two tables and the rest were filled with caballeros and vaqueros, ready for a good meal and a drink after the hot day.

Victoria fluttered between tables, stopping to talk to her guests when she could, but for the most part, keeping up a constant pace between the kitchen and her hungry, thirsty guests. She had two girls that helped her, and nights like this made her wonder if she shouldn't hire a third.

She slipped through the curtain into the kitchen and took a moment to catch her breath. She poured a glass of water and opened the back door, stepping out into the night air. It wasn't much cooler outside, but at least it was away from the heat of her cooking fire.

A noise from the corral caught her attention, and she was about to move in that direction when Stephano came out of the smalls table. He didn't seem to notice her as he grabbed the saddle bags he had placed on the corral fence and tossed them over his shoulder. As he stepped toward the tavern he looked up to find her watching him and he grinned.

"Buenos noches, Victoria."

"Buenas noches. What were you doing in the stable?"

Stephano shrugged. "I seem to have returned too late to catch the blacksmith again, so I was hoping I could use your corral for my horse again. I will pay you of course."

As he stepped closer to her, the light from the door illuminated his face and she could see he was tired and sweaty. Bits of hay stuck to his pants from the stable.

"I took the time to groom and feed your own horse while I was at it. I hope you don't mind."

Victoria hesitated only a moment before giving him a grateful smile. "Not at all. I'm afraid I get busy and sometimes don't give her the attention she deserves. Besides, I'm sure she likes the company of an extra horse. You are welcome to use the stable as long as you staying here."

"Gracias."

"You look tired, senor. Do you want some dinner?"

"Perhaps later. For now, I would like to get out of these filthy clothes and cleaned up."

Victoria nodded as she led him in through the back door. Stephano nodded at her in thanks. He gave her an oddly familiar salute as he disappeared through the curtain and headed for his room. With a sigh, Victoria turned back to her work. From the sounds coming from the tavern, it was getting busier and she knew her girls would need her help.

Several hours later her tavern had emptied considerably, finally, but she was still making regular trips back and forth through the curtain. She moved around the room refilling glasses returned she had a pitcher of juice that she used to refill the glasses of some of her remaining customers.

She stopped briefly at a table in the back, where a card game was going on. She feigned interest in the game, but was really keeping an eye out to make sure no one was losing too badly. She wished she could ban the games altogether, they often led to trouble, but she had to admit that they usually brought her a great deal of money. Men liked to drink when they were playing cards and she often got a small cut of the winnings. She did have one steadfast rule, though, for card games in her tavern. Nothing stronger than wine was served, and that she would water down if she saw anyone getting too far into their cups. She occasionally got complaints and grumbles about her rule, but she would be damned if anyone was killed in her tavern over something as trivial as a card game.

The game seemed to be a friendly one, and was wrapping up, so she moved on to the next table to find Stephano staring up at her. She had spotted him earlier devouring a meal of soup and several tortillas, but hadn't had a chance to speak with him while the tavern was so busy. But now that things had slowed down considerable, she found she had time to talk.

"Would you like some more juice?" she asked.

He nodded and she filled his glass for him. He beckoned for her to sit. She hesitated a moment, thinking of the stack of dirty dishes waiting for her, but knew the girls were probably already working on them. She took the offered seat, intending to stay for only a few minutes.

"How was your friend in San Pedro?"

Stephano had a blank look for a split second, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "Oh, he…ah, he didn't make it. He sent word that he was delayed. He won't arrive for a couple of more days."

"So you rode all that way in the heat for nothing?"

He shrugged. "Not nothing…but it was a rather frustrating day."

Their conversation moved to other topics and before Victoria knew it, the tavern had all but emptied and it was time to close up. She was surprised how fast time flew talking to Stephano and was a little embarrassed that she had neglected her remaining customers. She bade him a hasty goodnight, and went to collect money from her few remaining patrons and check on the two women in the kitchen. When she came back through the curtain several moments later, Stephano was gone.

Stephano Mercado was not the only man spending time watching and waiting. Zorro sat on the roof of the church, watching the light in the guest room of Victoria's tavern. He had actually been in the tavern over an hour ago, watching carefully from the shadows of the upstairs balcony, observing the guests below. It wasn't hard to spot the stranger staying in the first guest room. He sat by himself and wolfed down two bowls of soup and at least three tortillas as Zorro watched from above. After his dinner, he had sat quietly, carefully observing the other tavern guests.

From his vantage point, Zorro hadn't been sure, but thought it was the same man that he had spotted the day before outside of the church. This didn't make much sense as Victoria had said he came into town very late last night, asking for a room. If it was the same man, and he was fairly certain it was, where had he been all day, that he had to beg for a room so late?

Zorro shifted his position slightly as the light in the guest room finally went out. He glanced over to where he knew Victoria's room was, but he could see that a candle still burned in her room. He thought about making a quick trip to her room first, to ask her what she knew of her guest, sense she was still awake, but resisted the temptation. He could very easily be sidetracked from his goal in her presence.

After some time, the candle in Victoria's room was also extinguished, and Zorro made his way down from the roof. He entered the tavern kitchen in his usual manner, through the high window. There was enough moonlight coming in that he could make his way around easily. He had become very adept at moving around in the dark. He was about to step through the curtain, when he heard a noise and froze. When he heard the soft squeak of the wooden stairs, he stepped cautiously to the side and waited.


	5. Chapter 5

_Sorry, but I am having a little fun at Zorro's expense in this chapter. But fear not, Zorro will get a chance to carve his 'Z' soon enough._

Chapter Five

First Encounter: Stephano 1, Zorro 0

Stephano made his way down the tavern steps slowly. He had not bothered to put on his boots, but the wooden stairs creaked as he moved and he kept looking up toward Victoria's room, expecting the door to open at any moment. When he finally made it to the bottom of the stairs he paused, thinking he had heard something, but when the door upstairs did not open, he relaxed.

He had watched Victoria earlier and knew that the tavern keeper kept her money box behind the bar. He had no doubt that she would have emptied it before going to bed, but since he was looking to put money into the box and not to take money out, he didn't care. He was still feeling guilt over stealing food last night, and wanted to at least pay for what he had taken. And he really wanted to check the kitchen and see if there was some of that wonderful flan left. What he planned to leave would more than make up for it.

He rubbed his hands together. He really wanted some flan, but supposed he should take care of the money first, just in case. As he stepped around the corner of the bar, though, he felt the sharp prick of a knife or sword at his back. He froze.

"Looking for something, senor?" came a low voice behind him.

Slowly, Stephano turned, hands slightly in the air to show he had no weapon. Other than the knife tucked into his sleeve that is. The man standing behind him was dressed all in black with a mask covering the top half of his face. Stephano had to suppress a groan.

"Zorro, I presume?" he asked quietly.

"I'm flattered that you know me, senor. But you haven't answered my question."

Stephano looked down at the sword point now pressed firmly against his belly. He found himself contemplating the same thing he did with the soldiers this afternoon, but again, didn't want the extra attention. And he had heard of this Zorro and his amazing skill with a sword. It wasn't something he really wanted to test…yet. Besides, a fight would surely bring Victoria running…although, it might be to his advantage to have her down here now.

He lowered his hands, though he kept them where the masked bandit could see them. "Probably not what you are thinking I am looking for," he said in a slightly louder than normal voice.

Zorro's eyes narrowed at the stranger, but he didn't flinch. The business end of his sword stayed firmly pressed against the man before him. "And that would be…?" Zorro returned. He kept his voice low.

Stephano tried one of his charming smiles. "I'm just looking for some water, senor Zorro. Hardly the thing that warrants a sword though my innards." Again, he let his voice carry and tried not to smirk when he heard a door upstairs opening. Within moments Victoria was peering over the balcony. She held a lit candle that cast a dim light over the two men below.

"Zorro?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

Zorro's eyes never left the man in front of him. "You didn't bring your pitcher with you," he said quietly to Stephano as Victoria made her way down the stairs.

As soon as Victoria reached them, Stephano said, "You're right. How foolish of me to think I would find a cup…in a tavern." A slow grin spread across his face.

Zorro clearly did not like this answer as he gave the sword a slight push. Not enough to cause any real pain, but enough to let his displeasure known.

"Zorro, what are you doing? What is going on here?" Victoria asked. Her gaze darted back and forth between the two men.

When neither man answered right away, Victoria put the candle down on the bar with a huff. "Well?"

Stephano was close enough to the bar that he reached his hand out to get one of the cups stored there. He held it up before Zorro. "I came down to get some water, senorita. I was thirsty, but I used all the water in my room cleaning up after my trip. I'm not sure what your friend is here for." He kept his eyes glued to Zorro, warming up to his task of baiting the masked man.

"Interesting that you chose to go behind the bar, where the cash box is kept, before going to the kitchen, where the water is." Zorro gave the other man a look that said he knew what Stephano was doing, but wasn't going to fall for it.

Victoria rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated growl. She gave Zorro a shove toward the kitchen. "You stay here," she said pointedly at Stephano. "You, come with me," she said to Zorro as she continued to force him toward the kitchen. She grabbed the clay cup out of Stephano's hand as she went by. As they disappeared through the curtain, Stephano let out a small laugh.

He could hear Victoria's angry whispers, but couldn't quite make out the words. He shook his head and reached into his pocket to pull out the extra coins he had brought downstairs with him. He quickly pulled out the cash box and dropped the coins into the empty box, then replaced it under the bar and went around to the front to await Victoria's return.

The whispers from the kitchen were lower now, the anger apparently gone, but he still couldn't make out the words. Stephano had heard the rumors, before ever coming to the pueblo of Los Angeles, about the pretty tavern owner and the masked bandit, Zorro. He had hoped the rumors weren't true, as he had grown rather fond of the tavern owner in his short time in the pueblo. But after seeing her with him now, he had a feeling the rumors were true.

He quickly hid his grin as the pair emerged from the kitchen. Zorro's eyes were still hard, but his sword was now sheathed. Victoria looked half angry, half amused. She handed the now full cup back to Stephano, who took it with a grateful nod.

"Will there be anything else?" she asked with exaggerated sweetness.

Stephano shook his head, not trusting himself to speak without laughing, which he was sure would not go over well at the moment.

"Good night, Stephano," she said with a glance up the stairs.

Stephano took the hint and stepped toward the stairs, but couldn't resist one last parting shot at Zorro. "I'm sorry if I upset your guard...fox, Victoria."

Victoria gave him a stern look, but her eyes could not hide their own amusement. "Buenas noches, senor," she said again.

"Buenos noches."

At the top of the stairs, Stephano turned around and glanced back, but Victoria had already turned back to Zorro. Zorro however, was watching Stephano, and gave him a slight nod which Stephano returned with a quick salute.

When the door at the top of the stairs closed, Zorro turned his attention back to Victoria and was mildly surprised when she reached up drew him into a kiss. When she released him, he smiled at her.

She gave him a light swipe on the arm with her hand. "You and Diego..." she said. "You should both trust me more."

Zorro's smile faltered. He was momentarily confused by Victoria's quick mood changes. He had just received a dressing down in the kitchen, followed by a brief but passionate kiss, and now it seemed she was back to being angry.

"It isn't you I don't trust, Victoria," he said softly.

"You don't think I can take care of myself."

"That's not true. But you are a woman in a tavern alone with a stranger. It pays to be cautious."

Victoria went around the bar a picked up the heavy club she kept there. "Oh, I am cautious, when I need to be." She held it up to show to Zorro, who gave her a knowing smile, then tucked it back away. "But I trust Stephano. I don't believe he was trying to rob me. Besides, I would never keep money in the cash box overnight."

"You trust a man you just met last night?"

"I do."

He shot her a skeptical look.

"Call it woman's intuition," she said.

Zorro was still not convinced. He came around the bar to where she stood and took her hand. "Victoria, just promise me you will be careful with this man. Something…isn't right here."

Victoria looked at him coyly and gave him a smile. "Are you jealous, senor, Zorro?"

Zorro didn't answer, but handed the club back to her. "You will be careful?"

She nodded. "Si, I will be careful. But he won't hurt me."

Zorro handed her the candle and led her back to the stairs.

"He won't hurt me," she repeated.

He didn't respond, but drew her in for another kiss, this time letting it linger. As he finally pulled away, he whispered, "Good night, Victoria," and disappeared through the curtain to the kitchen.

He made his way back out the window and once outside, gave a low whistle, waiting as Toronado pranced up to him. He was looking forward to the ride home, even though he would have to stay alert. The patrols of lancers were still combing the hillsides looking for him. But the ride home would give him time to think about this stranger. He had no idea why Stephano Mercado was in the pueblo, but he was willing to bet that the stranger had something to do with Victoria's food mystery as well as the missing pesos from the alcalde's office. Zorro knew enough to trust his instincts, which were telling him that there was trouble ahead. Whatever came, he vowed to be ready for it. In the meantime, he would watch and wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Visitors

Two days later, the sun rose behind a thin veil of clouds. A rain shower during the night left puddles in the deepest ruts of the roads and Stephano allowed his horse to pick his own way around the worst of them. He was deep in thought and paying only minimal attention, knowing his sure-footed horse could manage without much direction.

He had left the tavern before the sun rose, but this time he really was headed for the small port town of San Pedro. He would meet his second and best friend, Joaquin, who would lead Stephano to the camp chosen by his men. Before they split up, he told his men to stay along the coast and out of the towns, hoping they would avoid drawing any unwanted attention to themselves. It was a tall order, to ask wanted men to stay out of trouble and out of sight, but with the possible exception of his brother Enrique, he knew the men would obey the order.

Stephano had spent the entire day yesterday around the pueblo, mostly in the tavern, but also venturing around the town. He listened to the conversations around him, but on occasion would venture a question or two, mostly trying to get a better idea of just who the de la Vega's were. He had to be discreet, especially in the tavern since Diego, too, had spent a good part of the day there. The more Stephano learned, the less comfortable he was getting with the idea of robbing the great estate. The de la Vega's were well respected in the pueblo and highly thought of. A robbery of this magnitude would not be taken lightly. He had a gnawing feeling in his gut that if they did this, not only would the soldiers be chasing them all the way back to Baja, but a good number of vaqueros and fellow dons as well.

He did, however, learn something valuable from the soldiers that congregated in the tavern. A group of six or seven soldiers had wandered into the tavern upon returning from their patrol. They were hot, tired, and thirsty. Once they had refreshed themselves with a cup or two of wine, they began to talk freely, mostly complaining about the alcalde that kept them out on patrol looking for Zorro, even though the masked bandit had not been seen in over a week. Even the soldiers doubted Zorro's guilt over the stolen money, but they were soldiers and thus obliged to follow orders, no matter how foolish they believed them to be.

But one soldier, young and obviously not used to keeping military secrets, let it be known that the military payroll was due to arrive in two days. His fellow soldiers quickly quieted the young man, but the damage had already been done. Stephano hid a small smile behind his own cup. A military payroll might be just what he needed to satisfy his brother that there was plenty of money to be had in Los Angeles without bothering with the de la Vega's.

As he rode, the sun began to burn through the clouds and Stephano realized it wouldn't be long before the puddles dried up once again as another hot day approached. It made him wish he was back at the tavern, sipping lemonade, away from the hot sun. He had enjoyed his day there yesterday. When the tavern had emptied during siesta, he had remained behind, talking with Victoria. It had surprised him how easy she was to talk to, telling her more about himself than he would normally divulge. He found that they had a few things in common, like losing their parents when they were young. He didn't tell her how his father had died, but she hadn't said much about her own father, either. Neither had pushed the subject. He told her about being raised be his paternal grandmother, she talked about learning to run the tavern at a young age.

Stephano had to admit a certain level of jealousy when Victoria turned her attention to Diego de la Vega when he made another appearance later that afternoon. Seeing them together, Stephano could tell that the two were good friends, which gave him yet another reason to hesitate about attacking the de la Vega's. Hurting Diego would obviously also hurt Victoria, and that was one thing he knew he did not want to do.

He sighed as he urged his horse on, the smell of the ocean getting stronger as he drew near the small port. They would start with the military payroll, and if that wasn't enough to satisfy the men, there was always the safe he had seen in the alcalde's office. With the lancers exhausting themselves out on patrol, it would be easy enough to get to. A plan beginning to form in his mind, Stephano went to find his friend.

Zorro had also been busy that morning. While visiting the tavern the day before, Diego had learned from Victoria that her guest was once again heading out to San Pedro and that he would be leaving at dawn. Zorro was also up before the sun, wanting to get to the tavern before the lancers had formed their daily patrol. He woke Felipe as well, leaving the sleepy but willing boy at a spot overlooking the road to San Pedro. This time, Zorro was going to be sure that the visitor went where he said he was going.

As he approached the pueblo, Zorro kept an eye out for any early rising lancers. It wouldn't surprise him if the alcalde had the patrols running twenty-four hours a day. The man was obsessed with finding Zorro. However, Zorro felt it was a risk worth taking, knowing that this may be his only chance to search the stranger's room for some clue as to his purpose.

Toronado slowed as he came up to the back of the tavern. Zorro easily balanced as he stood up in the saddle, pulling himself up to a second story veranda, and then waving at the horse to go hide while he took a look around inside. He easily lifted the latch on the inside of the window using his knife, allowing him to pull the window open and step inside quietly. He hesitated only a moment to be sure the room was empty.

The rising sun provided enough light that he made his way around the room easily. There wasn't much to look through. The saddle bags were of course on the horse, and there was only one spare shirt, thrown casually over the back of a chair. There was a bed roll, sitting on the chair, unneeded while Stephano was staying at the tavern. Zorro almost ignored it when something made him unroll it to check inside. When he did, he found a pistol and a tattered letter.

The letter was from a ship's captain, Estevan Bustillos, and indicated that his ship, _The Sea Maiden_, would be at the agreed upon meeting place on the 24th of the month and that the arranged price for the cattle would stand.

_'Curious,'_ Zorro thought. The letter was addressed to Stephano Mercado, but yesterday had been the 24th, and Zorro had seen with his own eyes that Stephano had been in the pueblo all day, nowhere near a ship, or even the coast for that matter. Perhaps the meeting had been delayed a day and that was why Stephano went to San Pedro today. But he had no cattle with him that Zorro was aware of and Stephano certainly didn't act like a vaquero.

Zorro carefully returned the pistol and letter inside the bedroll and placed them back on the seat of the chair. He continued his search, but the drawers of the small desk and dresser were both empty. The bed was unmade, but the covers were pulled hastily up and tossed over the small pillow. He was about to give up and exit through the window when something on the floor caught his eye.

A small spyglass had rolled under the chair. He bent over to pick it up, wondering if it has possibly fallen out of a saddle bag. He examined it carefully, but it had no markings on it. Zorro wondered who or what Stephano had been watching that required a spyglass, but didn't have time to spend on it right now. A noise from down the hall indicated that it was time to go. He put the glass back on the floor where he found it, and slipped quietly out the window. It was time to head for home, but his day was far from done. Don Diego suddenly had plans to go to San Pedro.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

San Pedro Mystery

Diego and Felipe rode into San Pedro at midday. The sun had finally burned through the clouds and the road had dried up quickly, allowing them to make good time. A breeze coming in from the sea kept the heat at bay for the time being.

Felipe had confirmed that he had seen Stephano riding toward San Pedro that morning, and signed a question to Diego, wondering how they would explain their presence in the port town if Stephano should see them.

Diego gave his chin a rub in thought. "We can always say we have come after another package for my father."

The pair rode straight for the docks, Diego's eyes anxiously looking among the ships for the name of the ship from the letter, Felipe's eyes watching for Stephano. There weren't many ships for Diego to look through. The small port only had two ships of any size anchored in the harbor. Both were small Spanish trading vessels, but neither was named _The Sea Maiden_. There were several even smaller vessels, mostly fishing boats, but again, the name he was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

"Felipe, I'm going to try the harbor master. Why don't you go to the tavern and get some lunch, I will meet you there. Keep an eye out for Stephano while you are there." Before the boy could leave, Diego grabbed his arm to stop him. "Be careful, Felipe. These sailors can sometimes be…rough."

Felipe nodded, signing to Diego that he worried too much before hurrying off on his own. Breakfast had been very early this morning and he was more than ready to find something to eat. He was also eager to find Stephano or some word of where he might be. He knew the stranger had Zorro worried, and wanted to help his friend figure out what this mystery man was up to.

Diego entered the harbor masters office, to find it empty, except for a small man sitting behind a large desk. He wore round spectacles that sat at the end of his nose, and he had thinning, gray hair. He scowled as Diego entered.

"What do you want?" the man said without greeting.

Diego plastered on his most charming smile. "Excuse me, senor, but are you the harbor master?"

The man grunted. "No, bless the saints. That would be my brother, I'm just watching things while he is out." He eyed Diego carefully. "He just left, to take lunch and then siesta. He won't be back for several hours."

"Is there someone that can tell me if a certain ship has docked here recently?"

"If there was a ship in San Pedro I can tell you about it." The man gave Diego a small smile. "For a price."

Diego resisted rolling his eyes as he pulled some coins out of his pocket and tossed them onto the desk in front of the small man who scooped them up quickly.

"How recently?" he asked Diego.

"Within the last few days."

With an exasperated sigh, the man pulled a ledger book over and began to flip through it. "What is the name of the ship?"

"_The Sea Maiden_."

Diego wasn't sure, but he thought he saw the man flinch at the name. He watched carefully as the man flipped through a log book, but before long, the older man shook his head.

"There's been no ship by that name in San Pedro, senor."

"You know this ship." Diego said. It was not a question.

The man merely raised an eyebrow.

Trying not to let his impatience show, Diego tossed two more coins down on the desk. "How is your memory now?"

"Coming back." The small man scooped up the coins and got up from the desk. He went to the small window, looking to be sure there was no one to overhear the conversation. When he was satisfied that no one was around, he looked Diego up and down. "I am sure you are no friend to Captain Bustillos, senor."

"What makes you say that?"

The gray head shook. "He isn't in the habit of befriending caballeros. Bustillos is a smuggler, a thief and sometimes a pirate, when the mood strikes him. If he is in the area, he would hardly make a stop in a public harbor such as San Pedro. The patrol of lancers here is small, but they would still try arrest Bustillos, given the chance."

"Do you know anything about the ship? How big it is for instance? Or where it might be anchored to take a load of…cattle?"

"Cattle? It would take a large operation to get cattle onto a ship without a dock. But he could anchor his ship anywhere along the coast. There are several inlets south of here that a ship of that size could hide in while picking up or dropping off cargo. Smugglers tend to find a way to offload just about anywhere."

Diego rubbed at his chin. This mystery was a challenge that was not getting any clearer, but at least now he knew Stephano Mercado had ties to a thief. And if he did have an agreement with the Captain to meet the previous day, then he also had to have men helping him. Most likely he had several men helping him, if they were cattle rustlers.

"As a word of caution, senor, I wouldn't ask too many questions about _The Sea Maiden_ or its captain around San Pedro. It may bring the kind of attention you don't want."

Diego nodded. "Gracias, senor, I will take it under consideration."

As he left the harbor masters office and went to collect Felipe, Diego considered what he had learned. Unfortunately, it would take days to search the coastline for the mysterious ship, which would most likely move on long before they ever found it, if it hadn't already. But Diego was even more convinced that Stephano Mercado was dangerous and much more than he appeared to be.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Plans Are Formed

Stephano had found Joaquin in the tavern in San Pedro, as they had arranged. The pair did not stay long however, Stephano being anxious to hear about how the men were fairing, as well as how the meeting with Captain Bustillos had gone the previous day. It was a conversation he did not want to have in a public place such as the tavern. Stopping only to buy some wine and tequila for his men, the two friends rode north out of San Pedro well before their unknown followers, Diego and Felipe, ever arrived.

As the two friends rode, Stephano peppered Joaquin with questions. He and his men had stolen nearly a hundred head of cattle on their way north, mostly in and around San Diego. Joaquin and the men had handed off the stolen cattle to Captain Bustillos, who would resell them to the Russians that were settling far to the north of California.

"In fact," Joaquin said as they rode, "he said he has room for another fifty or so, if we can come up with them before he leaves. He is going to stop north of here in two days. He gave me a map of where he will anchor the ship. If we are there with the cattle, he said he will pay us a bonus."

Joaquin handed over a bag full of coins with a smile. It was enough to split between the men and keep everyone happy for some time. Stephano took the coins and returned the smile. "I think that can be arranged fairly easily. The rancheros around Los Angeles have more than their share of cows. Fifty head will hardly even be missed."

They rode on in silence, but Stephano noticed his friend squirming in the saddle. He waited for Joaquin to speak, but his friend seemed reluctant. After some time, Stephano pulled up his horse and looked at Joaquin.

"Alright, Joaquin, out with it. What happened that you don't want to tell me about?"

Joaquin still hesitated. He squinted up into the sun, then pulled off his hat to wipe his brow.

"Is it Enrique?" Stephano asked.

Joaquin reluctantly nodded. "Your brother, Stephano, he is…out of control."

Stephano sighed. "What did he do now?"

"The same as always. Questioning your orders, running off on his own, causing trouble. He went into San Pedro last night, even though I told him not to, and got into a fight at the tavern. Luckily no one was killed, but the lancers tried to arrest him." Joaquin shook his head. "I sent three men after him, knowing he was up to no good, and they got him out of there before the lancers got him, but it wasn't easy. It was pure luck that they all didn't end up being arrested."

Stephano gave his horse a light kick and started back up the coast, Joaquin falling in beside him. His brother was a hot head, always had been. Enrique was six years younger, and for the most part Stephano had been able to control him using his position as the older brother. But it was getting harder and harder to do as time passed.

"I'll talk to him again," he finally said.

"Talking will do no good, Stephano," Joaquin said quietly. Enrique was a sensitive subject and he knew he would have to tread lightly. "I think you should cut him loose. It is only a matter of time before he gets us into more trouble than we can get out of."

"He's my brother, Joaquin."

"I know. But are you willing to take a noose for him?"

Stephano didn't answer right away. For a moment, he had a flash of memory to a day not long after Enrique was born, when Stephano and his father stood over Enrique's crib. His father made Stephano promise to watch out for his younger brother, to never let anything bad happen to him, no matter what. The promise amounted to a blood oath, one that Stephano had taken very seriously, even at six years old.

"I do my best to make sure it doesn't come to that, Joaquin, you know that."

"Yes, you do. But Enrique is reckless and cocky and just loco enough to get us all killed if we aren't careful." At a scowl from Stephano, Joaquin gave up with a sigh and turned the subject to the reason for their visit to Los Angeles. "So, what did you find out about the de la Vega's?"

Stephano told Joaquin everything he had learned in the last few days, ending with his own reluctance to try to plunder the hacienda. "It wouldn't be easy, and I doubt we could do it without some sort of bloodshed on both sides."

"It's all Enrique has talked about for the past week, robbing the richest family in California. He won't take it lightly if you decide against it."

"No he won't. But I think I have a plan to place his attentions elsewhere."

The pair came over a dune, and below them in a small sheltered cove was the camp of their men. Several of the men recognized the riders immediately and began to hail them as they made their way down the dune. As they did so, Stephano laid out his plans to Joaquin. The other man smiled, liking what he heard.

"This could make us rich, Stephano."

"Si, but there is one obstacle in our way."

"What would that be?"

Stephano shook his head. "Not what, but who. El Zorro."

"Zorro? Isn't he an outlaw as well? Why would he get in our way?"

"Technically, I suppose he is an outlaw. But everything we heard, about him being the guardian of Los Angeles, seems to be true. Once our plan is put into motion, he may well prove to be a problem." With a laugh, Stephano told his friend of his meeting with Zorro.

"I don't think Zorro was happy after that encounter and will be keeping an eye on me. I think it will be up to you and me to make sure he is…otherwise occupied while our men are working."

"And I suppose you have a plan for that as well?"

Stephano couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Of course."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Trouble Begins

At lunch the following day, Stephano and Joaquin sat in the tavern watching the comings and goings of the pueblo. They had spent the remainder of the prior day moving the men to a new camp, this one much closer to Los Angeles, and gave everyone their orders for the next day. When they were sure everyone understood their role, they gave the men the bottles of wine and Tequila, letting them enjoy the night, but warned them to be ready for their assignments tomorrow.

Before leaving, Stephano took Enrique aside and gave him individual instructions. He told his younger brother of the military payroll that was due to come through Los Angeles the following day. Stephano wanted Enrique and three men to be at Cahuenga Pass early the next morning to watch for and intercept the shipment. Past experience had taught him that four men would be enough to handle whatever military escort was sent with the money. His only worry was Enrique's temper.

"Whatever you do, Enrique, no killing. If this plan is going to work, you need to keep your temper in check," he had warned his brother.

"Don't you trust me?" Enrique had laughed.

"I mean it, Enrique. The Los Angeles lancers are tired and disheartened after that fool alcalde has had them chasing shadows of Zorro for days on end. But they will not take the killing of one of their own lightly, no matter how tired they are. It is a hornet's nest that we do not need stirred."

Enrique had reluctantly nodded. "Fine, but when do we go after the de la Vega money?"

Stephano let a sigh escape his lips. As he had feared, Enrique was not happy when he told him of his reluctance about the de la Vega's. It had taken some time, but he had been able to explain his reasons and get Enrique to at least admit that it would be a difficult task. When they had left the camp the day before, his brother was off by himself, most likely sulking. But at least for now, the subject was dropped.

Stephano had also given extra orders to one of his most trusted men. Jose had been with Stephano for many years, since before Stephano's father had died. He was one of the older men in the gang, as well as one of the smallest, but he was also freakishly fast and strong. The older man smiled as Stephano told him what he had planned.

"I will be there," he had promised as Stephano finished explaining what he needed and why. "You can count on me, Stephano."

"You've been quiet, hermano," Joaquin said as they sat in the tavern. He was eating lunch with vigor, sure he had never tasted anything so good.

Stephano gave his friend a reassuring smile. Joaquin did not call him hermano often, and never within Enrique's hearing. They had been friends for many years and Stephano had to admit that more than once he had wished Joaquin _was_ his brother, rather than the one he had.

"Just thinking, Joaquin. Hoping this plan works and we all escape with our hides intact." The tavern was not busy, but Stephano kept his voice low, careful that no one should overhear. He pushed his barely touched food away.

"It's a good plan. It will work." Joaquin said quietly, eyeing his friend's lunch.

Stephano grunted. Joaquin never doubted him, even when Stephano doubted himself. "There is a lot that can go wrong."

Joaquin just shrugged. Stephano did enough worrying for both of them, so he usually didn't waste any effort on it. He decided to change the subject. "You know Stephano, I have heard that there are great herds of wild horses to the east, left by the original Spanish explorers. When we are finished in Los Angeles, perhaps we should not go home with the men. We could head east instead. Perhaps round up some of those horses, to sell."

Stephano grinned. Joaquin had a way with animals, especially horses, and Stephano had no doubt that Joaquin could break even the wildest of horses. He had an amazing skill, part of which he had shared with Stephano. "Are we to become horse peddlers, Joaquin? You've had enough of the outlaw life?"

"Yes."

Stephano meant it as a joke, but Joaquin's quick answer gave him pause. He locked eyes with his friend and they shared words without speaking. Finally, Stephano nodded. "If we make it through this alive, I will think about it your idea, Joaquin."

"That's all I can ask," Joaquin said quietly. "Now, are you going to finish that?" he said pointing to Stephano's nearly untouched plate.

With a grin, Stephano shook his head. "It's all yours." As he watched, Joaquin began shoveling in great spoonfuls of food. "I told you she was an amazing cook."

"I will never doubt you again, hermano."

Just then, a group of tired, dusty soldiers came in and sat down together at a table. They grumbled as Victoria served them from a pitcher of fresh juice. They wanted something stronger, but Victoria shook her head. "You know the Sergeant's rules. Not while you are on duty."

After a few minutes, Sergeant Mendoza came in, looking unhappy. He joined the group with a shake of his head. "I'm sorry, men, the alcalde will not budge. We are to return to patrol immediately."

"But sergeant," one of the men complained, "we have been out every day this week, for well over eight hours a day. There is no sign of Zorro or the alcalde's money. What is the point of riding around in the hot sun again?"

Mendoza gave him a look that said he had no idea, but out loud said, "Orders are orders. And it is our duty to obey orders." He rose, trying to encourage his men to do likewise. "Let's go muchachos."

They weren't happy about it, but the men rose and shuffled out of the tavern and into the bright sunshine. Mendoza followed, in no more hurry to spend another day in the saddle himself. He didn't even notice the grin that spread across Stephano's face, mirrored by the one on Joaquin's.

There were times when Mendoza felt like a mother hen, herding chicks around. In fact, his fellow soldiers were like a family to him and it was his job to make sure they followed orders and did not get hurt in the process. And if they didn't get moving soon, some one was likely to be hurt by the alcalde, and unfortunately, it was most likely to be the sergeant.

Not for the first time, Mendoza found himself wishing that Alcalde Ramon would get reassigned to some other pueblo. The man was plain loco at times, constantly chasing after Zorro. The soldiers knew it was hopeless, they would never catch the masked bandit. And secretly, Mendoza was glad. Zorro was an outlaw, but Mendoza had never thought that anything Zorro did was all that bad. Some of it was even funny, though Mendoza would never admit to such sentiments.

"Mendoza!"

The soldier flinched as the alcalde strode across the plaza. He suddenly wished he had got the men mounted a little faster. He was afraid he wasn't going to like whatever the alcalde said.

"Mendoza, why aren't you and the men out on patrol?"

"We were just leaving, alcalde."

"I ordered you out on patrol thirty minutes ago."

"Si, alcalde, but the men needed a little refreshment, they are tired and-"

Luis Ramon shook his head. "I don't care if they are tired sergeant. I want Zorro's head. And I want my money back."

"Si, alcalde, we were just leaving."

"I mean it sergeant. Don't come back until you either have my money or you have that brigand's head on a stake."

"Si, alcalde," Mendoza said with a sigh. He mounted with his men, and again split them into two groups. He joined the first group, headed north. The rest went south. In a cloud of dust, the soldiers were gone.

A little over an hour later, Diego and Felipe entered the tavern. As was his habit, Diego's eyes immediately sought out Victoria. He scanned the room and seemed to relax slightly when she came through the curtain, arms loaded with plates of lunch. He quickly scanned the rest of the room, and his eyes fell on Stephano Mercado, who was looking up at Diego. The two men eyed each other for a moment, until Stephano turned to a friend sitting with him, and the two spoke in low voices.

Diego's brow knitted in thought, then he grabbed Felipe's arm and gave him a quick sign that sent the boy scurrying back out the door. Diego watched him go, before sitting at a table.

Victoria brought him a glass of juice and sat down across from him. "Would you like some lunch, Don Diego? I will be closing for siesta soon, but you are welcome to stay and eat, if you like."

"No this is fine. I have to get back to The Guardian soon. There is a lot of work to do if I am going to have a paper this week." Diego looked around the near-empty tavern. "I see your friend Stephano is still around."

"Si, a friend of his, Joaquin, came into town last night. He is quite a funny fellow that Joaquin."

"Oh?"

"He had two plates of dinner last night, and two more for lunch today. He couldn't stop telling me how good my cooking is. He acted like he hasn't eaten in a week."

Diego's brow rose in question. "He didn't look like he had been starving. Though I can't disagree with his appreciation for your cooking."

"Gracias, Diego."

Before Diego could question her further about the two strangers, Felipe came racing back into the tavern, a frightened look on his face. He grabbed Diego's arm and motioned for him to come outside, making signs for the soldiers as he urged Diego on.

"Felipe, what is it?" Diego asked, concerned.

Felipe continued to pull Diego outside, and as they approached the door, Victoria close on his heels, a commotion could be heard out in the plaza. The few people left in the tavern followed Diego, Felipe, and Victoria out the door.

A group of the soldiers, led by Mendoza, were returning to the cuartel, and three of them were obviously dead, strung over their saddles like bags of grain. Victoria's breath caught.

Alcalde Ramon strode from his office, pulling Mendoza aside.

"Who are these men, Mendoza? What happened?"

Sergeant Mendoza shook his head sadly. "They are from the garrison in Monterey. They were escorting the payroll south. We came upon them at the pass, they had been attacked by banditos. These three were already dead, two others were hurt, and they told us what happened. I sent them to the mission with a couple of our men. It was the closest place to get them medical attention."

Diego watched the exchange between Ramon and Mendoza as the alcalde continued to ask questions, but when he turned to Victoria, he saw that Stephano had also stepped out of the tavern at the commotion and stood next to Victoria with a strange look on his face. It was a mixture of anger and grief as his eyes were locked on the dead soldiers.

Joaquin seemed to sense Diego's stare and looked over at the tall caballero, then back at his friend. He grabbed Stephano's arm and whispered, "Hermano, come on, let's go." He tried to pull Stephano away from the scene.

"Oh, no, Diego, look," Victoria said, her voice catching.

The soldiers were pulling one of the dead men off of the horse and as they did so, the face of the dead man was clearly visible. He looked very young, hardly old enough to be in the army.

"It's Vicente Vasquez," Victoria said softly. "His parents will be crushed." She grabbed Diego's arm for support and turned away.

Diego held Victoria, but did not take his eyes off Stephano. When Stephano finally looked up, he saw Victoria's distress and swallowed hard before looking at Diego. He said nothing, but his jaw and fists were clenched tight.

"Hermano, please, let's go," Joaquin repeated. This time, Stephano did not resist, and the pair moved toward the back of the tavern. Before they disappeared around the corner, Stephano gave a last look back at the distraught Victoria and then at Diego. With a shake of his head, he followed his friend.

Felipe watched the men go, then turned back to Diego, questions in his eyes. Diego nodded slightly, and Felipe left to follow the two men. He looked around the corner of the tavern cautiously before he, too, disappeared from view.

Diego handed Victoria a handkerchief and led her back to the tavern. As they went, he heard Ramon ordering the lancers to get fresh horses and head back to the pass to see if they could track the bandits. As he guided Victoria inside, he knew he would have to hurry if Zorro was to get to the pass to investigate before the soldiers returned.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Chasing a Hunch

The tavern was still closed for siesta when Stephano made his way slowly down the stairs. He could hear noises coming from the kitchen and knew Victoria was beginning the preparations for dinner. He went to the bar and leaned against it, waiting. It wasn't long before Victoria came through the curtain, carrying a tray of clean glasses. She started when she saw Stephano.

"I'm sorry, Victoria," he said softly. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

She gave him a half-hearted smile and he knew immediately that she was still upset by the earlier events.

"I didn't hear you come in. I guess I was lost in what I was doing," she replied, putting the tray down and beginning to stock the glasses behind the bar.

Stephano watched her, momentarily at a loss for words. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but knew he couldn't. He gripped the saddle bag strung across his shoulder a little tighter, but placed the bedroll that was under his other arm on the bar. He reached for Victoria's hand.

"I'm sorry about your friend, Victoria."

For a moment, her eyes filled with tears again, but she quickly blinked them back. She pulled her hand away and resumed stacking the glasses. After a moment, she said softly, "He was a good boy, Vicente. He was so proud to be a soldier. It was all he talked about when he was a child, wanting to serve in the army. When he was assigned to the garrison at Monterey he was so excited. It was a good assignment and he knew it. It would give him a chance to shine, right in front of the governor."

Victoria managed a smile as she remembered the little boy that used to scamper around the plaza, following the soldiers and mimicking their movements, practicing for the day he would wear the uniform.

"I'm sorry," Stephano repeated.

Victoria's smile disappeared. "Zorro will find whoever did this," she said sternly. "They will pay for it."

Stephano swallowed hard. "Perhaps," he said quietly. His anger at his brother's actions once again flared and he had to force himself to unclench his fists. Enrique would pay a price for what he had done, but it wouldn't be from Zorro. Not if Stephano had anything to do with it. But before he could deal with his brother, he had other matters to attend to. He grabbed the bedroll from the bar.

Victoria seemed to notice for the first time that Stephano had all of his gear with him. "You are leaving?"

"Si," Stephano said. "I just stopped to say goodbye. Joaquin and I…have some work to do."

"Oh? Where will you go?"

Stephano hesitated a moment before answering, but when he did, he felt a sense of relief, knowing as he said it that it felt right. "East. Joaquin and I are going east."

Victoria was about to ask him more, but stopped herself. She had a feeling that Stephano wouldn't offer anymore detail than that anyway. "Well," she said slowly, "I will miss our talks, Stephano. I hope you have a safe journey. Perhaps we will see you in Los Angeles again some day?"

Stephano gave her his shy grin and shrugged. He wanted to kiss her, but having seen her with Zorro, he knew it would not be welcome. Instead, he took her hand once again and gave a light kiss to the back of it. "Adios, Victoria."

"Adios," she said as she watched the mysterious man disappear through the kitchen curtain. She heard the back door close and allowed herself a moment of sadness, for losing both Vicente and Stephano.

Zorro made it to the pass before the soldiers from Los Angeles returned. He knew how tired the soldiers were and that it would take them some time to gather fresh mounts and return. It would give him a little time to look around. The signs were quite plain that a struggle had occurred. The rain from two nights ago had made the ground soft enough to plainly show the tracks of several horses and men. Most he knew were from the soldiers, but it was easy enough to find the separate tracks of the bandits. There were four of them and they led to the south and east.

The sun was warm as he rode, and he could feel a trickle of sweat run down his back. It wasn't the first time he wished Zorro could stick to working nights, when the black outfit wasn't quite so hot. But he had to admit, tracking was not so easy most nights. And these were tracks he desperately wanted to follow to the end, where he would find the ones who killed Vicente and the other soldiers.

Several times, he lost the tracks among the rocks and he found himself doubling back to regain the trail, but each time, he managed to find it again and continue on. By the time the sun was beginning to set, he knew he was getting close. He could tell by the tracks that the horses he was pursuing were no longer running, which meant they were either getting close to wherever they were going, or no longer feared being followed.

Just as the sun dipped below the horizon, Zorro found what he was looking for and dismounted. The tracks led into a camp, now deserted. The remains of the fire were still warm, though, so he knew that they hadn't left long ago. There were empty bottles lying around the camp, and Zorro realized grimly that it had been a fairly large group camped here. And he also knew he would have no chance of picking up the trail of the four men he had been following. Tracks for at least a dozen men led away from the camp, three groups headed in different directions.

With a whistle, Zorro called Toronado over to him. He mounted the big horse and pointed him back in the direction of Los Angeles. He couldn't follow all three groups of men, and not knowing which group the murderers were in, he had to find another means of finding them. If his hunch was correct, Stephano was behind this somehow and if he could find Stephano, he knew he would find the answers, and the men, he was looking for.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Second Encounter

It actually took Zorro very little time to find Stephano. As he crept around the back of the tavern in the darkness, intending to check Stephano's room, movement across the plaza caught his eye. Two forms crept along the roof of the cuartel, disappearing from view at the alcalde's office. Zorro knew immediately who it must be. Tax money and the reward for Zorro made a tempting target. _'Perhaps too tempting to pass up'_, Zorro thought as he, too, made his way to the cuartel, sticking to shadows before pulling himself up to the roof.

The soldiers were still out looking for the payroll bandits and the few that were left behind, were tired and not paying much attention. The small courtyard was deserted, but soft candlelight could be seen through the windows of the barracks, though there was no movement visible inside. No light came from the alcalde's office or private room and Zorro guessed the alcalde was out with the patrol for a change.

Zorro made his way to the sky light above the alcalde's office and peered inside. Moonlight streamed into the office and he watched as shadows moved below him. He waited a few moments before making his decision, and then moved to the edge of the roof above the window.

Joaquin worked at the safe as Stephano paced around him. He had to hide his annoyance as he rummaged through his small pile of tools. He was sure he would have the safe open within moments, but Stephano was still on edge from the deaths of the soldiers earlier in the day and moved around the office with nervous energy.

"You aren't making this any easier, Stephano," he finally said to his friend.

Stephano stopped abruptly. "Sorry." He leaned against the alcalde's desk while Joaquin continued his task, drumming his fingers along the edge of the desk as he waited.

Within moments, there was a soft click and the door of the safe came open with a squeak of metal. Stephano looked over to see a satisfied grin on Joaquin's face as he pulled out two bags of coins.

"You were right, hermano, the alcalde has been collecting a lot of taxes lately."

Stephano shrugged. "I heard it from the mouths of the citizens themselves. After sitting in that tavern for a few days, I learned that the alcalde is obsessed with two things. Capturing Zorro and finding new ways to collect tax money. Luckily we will benefit from both."

"And do you still think Zorro will show up here?"

Stephano nodded as he resumed his nervous pacing, keeping a careful eye on the door as he did so. "I would bet on it."

"It's getting late, what if he found out what the men are doing?"

Stephano shook his head. "How could he? Besides, with the men split into three groups, even if he stumbled across one of them, the other two would get the job done. And we'll have the tax money."

As Joaquin picked up one of the bags of coins, he noticed a stack of papers on the desk. He moved around the corner of the desk to get a closer look at the stack of wanted notices, his back to the window. A grin broke over his face as he looked at them. "Hey, Stephano, I wonder if we are on any of these posters."

"Funny, I was wondering the same thing myself," came a deep voice from behind him.

Joaquin spun around, but an iron fist sent him sprawling back across the desk, the bag of coins spilling across the floor. Stephano too had spun around at the voice, but drew his sword as he watched his friend hit the desk and then the floor. He waited as Zorro drew his own sword, then immediately lunged and attacked.

Within moments, Stephano knew he had no chance against Zorro. He was good with a sword, but Zorro was beyond good. Stephano was holding his own for now, but knew that the masked man was simply feeling him out, waiting for the moment when he would end it.

Keeping his back to the door, Stephano waited until he saw his friend stir.

"Time to go, Joaquin," he said as his friend stood. He saw Joaquin eye the coins on the floor, but said, "Leave it. Let's go!"

Stephano tried to deflect Zorro's attack, but felt his sword fly from his hand. Zorro stepped forward, but Stephano quickly backed out the door, following closely behind Joaquin. He pulled the knife he kept tucked into his sleeve and once he was clear of the doorway, he adjusted his stance to be ready for Zorro's next attack. He held the knife ready with cool confidence, knowing he was much better with a knife than he was with a sword.

The attack never came. Just as Zorro stepped out the door, a flurry of motion came around the corner of the building and barreled into the masked man. The pair went down in a tangle of limbs, but Stephano was relieved to see Jose pop up. He joined Stephano in a dead run toward the horses, not even pausing to look behind.

Joaquin was the first to get to the horses and had the reins pulled loose as Stephano and Jose mounted their horses at a dead run. The trio headed for the edge of the little pueblo, kicking their mounts faster when they heard a shrill whistle behind them as Zorro called his own mount.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The Chase

Zorro kept the trio within sight, but held Toronado back. He had no desire to over take them…yet. When they were well away from the pueblo, he saw one of the riders veer off, heading in a different direction. Zorro guessed that it was the one that tackled him at the cuartel, and for a moment he was surprised at the man's small size. The impact had felt like a man twice that big.

Zorro had seen the movement at the last moment and had been able to turn slightly, absorbing most of the impact on his left side. Even so, pain had radiated up through his ribs and into his shoulder as they hit the ground, but had faded quickly. He had no doubt he would be bruised in the morning, but as he rode he took a mental inventory and was sure that no ribs were broken.

He kept on the trail of Stephano and Joaquin, guessing they would lead him to the men that robbed the military payroll and killed the soldiers escorting it. At the very least he would know what Stephano was up to, why he had come to Los Angeles.

Unbidden, an image of Victoria popped into his head. She could be impulsive and hot tempered, but these were two of the reasons he loved her. But in this case, he couldn't quite understand why she was so fond of Stephano. Granted, he hadn't had a chance to tell her what he had learned about her guest, but he still wondered at the instant trust and friendship that the two of them had developed. He thought her instincts were better than that. _'Or perhaps she was right and I am jealous,'_ he thought grimly, but immediately pushed the thought away.

The pair he was following suddenly changed direction, and Zorro let further thoughts of Victoria fade, concentrating instead on keeping the two bandits in sight.

After sending Jose off in another direction to join one of the groups of their men, Stephano glanced behind to make sure Zorro was still following them. He knew that Zorro would continue on their trail rather than Jose, but still felt slightly edgy. Zorro wasn't known for having a slow horse, so the fact that he hadn't already caught up to them could only mean that he was deliberately letting them stay ahead, probably trying to follow them to the rest of their gang. Which was the one thing that Stephano couldn't allow.

He did still have one trick up his sleeve, though. When he had split the men into three groups, he gave them instructions to each attack one herd of cattle of the richest men around Los Angeles, stealing as many cows as they could and stampeding the rest. The stampede would not only cause confusion for the vaqueros tending the herds, but would also serve to cover their tracks. It was how they had stolen the cattle near San Diego, and he had been sure it would work here as well.

Stephano and Joaquin had spent the afternoon scouting out the three herds that they would be stealing from, so he had a good idea where to find the nearest one. If he and Joaquin could make it there, they could lose their unwanted tail in the planned stampede. As soon as they were free of Zorro, they could head west to the designating meeting place, leaving the stolen cattle with the captain of the _Sea Maiden_. After that, he would send the men south, back toward home. He and Joaquin would go east as Joaquin had requested, and finally, the burden of leading these men and keeping them safe, of keeping Enrique in line and out of trouble, would be over.

He had never meant to follow in his father's footsteps, Stephano thought as they rode. As a child he hated knowing that his father was a wanted man, that when he would disappear for long stretches at a time, it meant that he was either off with his men stealing or on the run from the soldiers. Stephano could remember the long nights waiting for his father's return, wondering if he had been captured or killed. His father was widely known in southern California for his skill with a knife, a skill that had brought him home safe for many years. But when Stephano was twelve and Enrique just six years old, their father's luck had run out.

Stephano forced the memory away with a shake of his head and gripped the reins tighter. He knew they were getting close to the first herd and he motioned Joaquin to change directions. With a final look over his shoulder at Zorro, he led the way over a hill.

Zorro thought he heard a rumble of thunder as he urged Toronado faster. The pair they were chasing headed up a long hill and he did not want to lose them on the other side. As they neared the top, the roar of thunder became louder and it suddenly occurred to Zorro that there had been no indication of storms before the sun went down and he did not see a flash of lightening before the thunder began.

As Toronado came over the crest of the hill, Zorro's heart leapt into his throat, realizing what he would find on the other side. From the top, he watched bits of dirt and dust flew into the air as a large herd of cattle stampeded below him. He saw Stephano and Joaquin turn their horses to join the mad rush of cattle, but pulled Toronado up short. Joining a stampede was a good way to get you or your horse killed, and he had no desire to do either, but the rushing cattle would also destroy any tracks the bandits left behind. They would be impossible to follow.

With a curse, Zorro realized that was exactly what Stephano had wanted to accomplish. He was being deliberately led away from whatever the real objective was. He hesitated only a moment as he considered his options, then made his decision and urged Toronado in the direction the cattle were coming from, away from the direction that Stephano and Joaquin had taken. Keeping to the top of the hill and well out of range of the confused and frightened cattle, he made his way along the edge of the stampede.

After what seemed an eternity, the last of the rushing cows went by, leaving an obvious trail of churned up dirt in their wake. Zorro let Toronado pick his own path as he considered his options. He kept thinking back to his visit to San Pedro and the mysterious ship _The Sea Maiden_. The letter he had found in Stephano's room had made reference to picking up cattle. Could this stampede be a cover for stealing more cattle?

Zorro's mind raced as he tried to figure out whose land they were on. It was impossible to tell any landmarks in the darkness, but he thought back to the path they had taken out of the pueblo, and he felt reasonably sure he was on Don Carlos' land. While not as big as the de la Vega herd, it was still one of the biggest around, which made it a tempting target. They could easily stampede the main herd and keep a few dozen behind to steal and it would be hardly noticed until things settled down, which could be well into tomorrow.

When he reached an area where the ground was less disturbed, Zorro knew he had reached the spot where the stampede started. He carefully circled the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary or suspicious. After his second pass, he found what he was looking for. Another set of tracks indicated a small group of cattle, led by at least three men on horseback, were being herded in the opposite direction of the stampede. With his jaw clenched, Zorro set off after them.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Plans Fall Apart

It took most of the night to reach the meeting place. Stephano and Joaquin had to avoid not only the stampeding cattle, but also the small groups of vaqueros that were out trying to calm the raging herds and round up any cows that had strayed away from the main group. It was some time before things would be calm enough for the vaqueros and caballeros to realize that a part of their herds were missing and even longer to realize they had been stolen. By then, '_with any luck'_, Stephano thought, his men would have the stolen cattle to the coast and ready to hand over to the captain of _The Sea Maiden_.

"And then we can send the men home," Stephano said out loud.

Joaquin looked over at his friend, surprised. They hadn't spoken in some time, and knowing his friend had been distracted, Joaquin had been keeping his eyes out for signs of Zorro, or any further groups of vaqueros.

Stephano sensed his friends look and grinned. "Sorry, Joaquin, I was just thinking out loud."

"So you are sending the men home? What about us?"

"Si, just as soon as our business here is done. Which should be in a few hours, if we are lucky."

They had been walking their tired mounts, but Stephano stopped and re-mounted his horse, waiting for Joaquin to do the same. He gave his friend a long look before answering his second question. "We will try your idea, Joaquin. We will go east when this is finished and see if we can find your wild horses."

Joaquin could not hide his grin. "Your brother will not be happy with you."

Stephano shook his head. "He will be happy to have me out of the way so he can finally lead the men."

"I think you are wrong, hermano. Enrique knows the men will not follow him. They respect you…they only tolerate him."

Stephano made no reply. He was still angry with his brother. Enrique was a hot head and interested only in his own skin, whereas Stephano made a point of looking after the men, making sure each was taken care of, and that those with family had enough to care of their families as well. More than once he had given up his share of their plunder to his men. He had never known his brother to do such a thing.

"Without you, Stephano, Enrique is nothing and he knows it."

"He will have to learn to live with it then." Stephano shook his head sadly. "I will no longer be around to pull his fat out of the fire."

Joaquin let the matter drop, happy just to get Stephano to agree to give up the outlaw life. He was already planning how they would proceed when they finally made it to the arranged meeting place. His happiness was short lived. He could sense immediately that something was wrong. Not only were there only a handful of men waiting, but the number of cattle was much lower than it should be as well.

Stephano noticed the same thing and kicked his horse into a canter, heading directly for Jose, who was waiting for him.

"What's happened? Where are the rest of the cattle and our men?"

Jose shrugged. "This is all we got, Stephano."

"What! There are barely twenty head of cattle here. We should have well over twice this many!"

Jose looked away, reluctant to explain any further. Reynaldo, one of the other men joined them, and pointed to the 'Z' on Stephano's jacket. "It was him. El Zorro. He caught the group I was with. He took Jorge and Paco prisoner. I escaped, but was only able to bring three or four cows by myself."

Stephano took a deep breath, forcing himself to be calm. "Where is Enrique?" he asked Jose.

Jose took a moment to answer. "He was here, but they only brought a dozen cows. He was angry about something, and kept mumbling that if he wanted to be a cow herder, he would have become a vaquero long ago."

Waiting for Jose to go on, Stephano chewed at his bottom lip. He felt his fists clinch the reins even tighter. When Jose did not speak again, Stephano snapped impatiently, "And?"

"And he left."

"To go where?"

"The de la Vega hacienda," came Jose's soft reply. "To rob them. He took three men with him."

Stephano let out a string of curses that made the men around him look down at their feet. "How long ago did he leave?"

"Not long. Maybe thirty minutes ago."

Stephano looked toward the east, where the sky was just beginning to lighten. With a shake of his head, he looked at Joaquin and rolled his eyes before turning back to Jose. "Jose, take the men and the cattle up the coast to the ship. Get what you can for them and then you and the men head for home. Joaquin and I will see if we can find Enrique and free the men that Zorro captured."

"But if you free the men, you may need help. We can stay-"

"No," Stephano said shortly. "I won't risk anyone else getting caught. It's time we left this place and went home." He pulled a bag of coins from his saddle bag and tossed it to Jose. It was the remaining amount that he had stolen from the alcalde. "Divide this and whatever you get from Captain Bustillos for the cattle among the men once you are safely back home. If the rest of them do not catch up to you in…two weeks, then they aren't coming and you can split their shares among you."

"What about you, Stephano?"

"I won't need it. We won't be going back anyway."

"But Stephano-"

"Go, Jose," he said softly. "And be safe."

Jose hesitated a moment, but saw the determination in Stephano's eyes and knew he would not win this argument. He motioned for the men to round up the cattle and headed to meet _The Sea Maiden_, not even pausing to look back.

Stephano watched them go before turning to Joaquin.

"And where are we going,`as if I need to ask," Joaquin said.

"To pull Enrique's fat out of the fire one last time," Stephano growled before turning his horse toward the de la Vega hacienda.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

A Brother Lost, A Secret Revealed

The sun had barely crossed over the horizon when Stephano and Joaquin reached the hacienda. At first, things seemed quiet, normal. But the moment they entered the gate, Stephano knew with a sinking feeling that they were too late. The courtyard was strewn with debris, the flowers trampled with a few pulled out of the ground entirely.

The door to the hacienda stood open, and wordlessly, Stephano stepped inside. Again, there was debris strewn across the stone floor, but it wasn't as bad as he would have thought. At least there were no bodies, he thought grimly.

The empty house did not surprise him. He guessed that the elder de la Vega was out helping the vaqueros with the aftermath of the stampede. What he knew of Diego, he did not imagine the man was much for helping the vaqueros, but in an emergency, every able-bodied man had probably been recruited to help round up the scattered herd. It would have left the hacienda vulnerable, which is probably why Enrique had chosen to risk this foolhardy task.

Joaquin stepped inside the hacienda next to his friend just as a woman came around the corner of a hallway with a broom. She was intent on what she was doing and did not see the strange men right away. When she did, her eyes grew big and she hesitated only slightly before turning to run, a small gasp escaping as she did so. Joaquin leapt after her before Stephano could tell him to let her go. The pair disappeared back down the hallway.

Stephano looked around, moving toward the library, searching for any sign of his brother. He stooped to pick up a vase that had fallen, the top broken and lying in pieces on the floor next to it. A few chairs were overturned and pieces of pottery and pictures were strewn about the library. His heart began to sink as he saw a stain on the floor that could only be blood. There had obviously been a fight here, but the question was who had won.

Joaquin returned with the woman in tow, who was shaking and pale with fright.

"Joaquin, don't-"

"Maybe she can tell us where your brother is," Joaquin interrupted. He had both her arms pinned behind her and kept a firm grip on her as she struggled.

Stephano sighed. He looked at the vase he still carried and fought the urge to throw it. With a resigned sigh, he gave the woman as reassuring of a look as he could and spoke to her softly. "Senorita, I'm sorry for whatever happened here. I promise you that we will not hurt you or anyone else in this house. I just want to know what happened to my brother."

The woman shook her head, trying to pull away, but Joaquin kept her under control.

"Por favor, senorita. There were banditos here?"

Reluctantly, she nodded.

"And they tried to rob the hacienda?"

Again the silent nod.

"Where are those men now? What happened?"

Joaquin lessened his grip on her arms slightly. "We won't hurt you," he said to her softly. "Just tell us what happened."

"Z-Zorro took them away."

Stephano felt like he had just been kicked in the stomach. "Zorro?" he repeated dumbfounded. "How? When did he-" he broke off, unsure of what to say. His mind raced as he tried to figure out how Zorro knew what Enrique planned. He rubbed his forehead in thought.

Joaquin recovered from his initial shock first and questioned the woman further. "Zorro was here?"

"Si, he fought the big one," she said quietly, looking over at Stephano. She saw the resemblance between him and the man that had lead the invasion of the hacienda and couldn't stop a tremble of fear. The man had been loco, screaming curses at Zorro as they fought. But in the end, the fight had been a brief one, with Zorro knocking the leader out with the hilt of his sword. "He caught two of the other ones as well, but the third…" he voice trailed off.

"What of the third?" Stephano asked, even though the tone of his voice said that he already knew.

"Marco…one of the stable boys, shot him. It was b-before Z-Zorro even got here. All the men except Don Diego were out helping with the cattle. Marco and Felipe were the only ones here besides the women. Marco had no choice." She was looking at Stephano again, trying to gauge if he would seek his revenge on young Marco.

Joaquin asked, "You said Zorro took them away. Where to?"

The woman shrugged, unsure. "Maybe the cuartel. He said he would turn them over to the alcalde."

Stephano gave Joaquin a nod, and Joaquin released the woman. She did not flee right away, instead watching Stephano with intense eyes. Her fright was still evident, but was much diminished. "Please, senor, take what you want, but do not hurt Marco, he was only d-defending his patron's home."

Stephano voice shook his head. "I promised I would not hurt you or anyone here. I meant it." He swallowed hard before he spoke again. "You said Don Diego was not helping the vaqueros. Where was he? Why wasn't he here to defend his home?"

She hesitated again before answering. "I don't know where he is. Don Alejandro tried to find him to help with the cattle, but he was not here."

Stephano nodded and turned away from her.

The woman used the opportunity to flee out the front door without bothering to look back to see if she was being chased.

Stephano balanced the vase he still held in one hand, tossing it lightly in the air as he thought. "My brother is a fool," he finally said.

Joaquin was not going to dispute the fact. "We should go, Stephano. She will undoubtedly tell someone we are here."

"How did Zorro know, Joaquin?" Stephano said softly. "How did he know to come here?"

"Reynaldo said he caught some of our men stealing cattle. Maybe one of them let it slip," Joaquin guessed.

Stephano shook his head. "They didn't know Enrique was coming here. None of us did. I told him _not_ to come here, in fact." He paced the library, his eyes glued to the vase he carried.

"We'll figure it out later. Right now we need to figure out how we are going to get the men out of jail." He grabbed Stephano by the arm, trying to pull him toward the door.

With a roar of frustration, Stephano hurled the vase at the huge fireplace, turning his back before it even hit with a satisfying spray of porcelain. He was about to march out the front door, when the look on Joaquin's face stopped him cold. "What?"

In his anger, Stephano missed the target he was aiming for with the vase, instead throwing it wide and hitting the mantel piece. If he tried to hit that exact spot again, he probably would have missed. But as he turned around to see what Joaquin was staring at, he heard the soft grind of stone on stone as the door at the back of the fireplace swung closed.

The pair stood in shocked silence for a moment before Stephano shrugged and turned to leave. But Joaquin remained, eyes glued to the fireplace. He walked slowly toward it, the remains of the vase crunching beneath his feet. He ran his hands along the mantel until he found the spot where the vase had struck and turned to grin at Stephano as the door swung open once again.

"What do you suppose it is?" he asked.

"A storage room probably. Let's go, Joaquin."

"I want to see…" he stepped forward into the fireplace and disappeared as the door swung shut behind him.

Stephano sighed impatiently and moved to the front door, watching to make sure the woman was not returning with help. After a few moments, he called for Joaquin. When there was no answer he moved back into the library, just as Joaquin reappeared.

"Stephano you must see this."

"Joaquin, we have no time-"

"Just for a moment, you need to see this, Stephano."

With a shake of his head, Stephano ducked under the mantel and stepped inside.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Walking Into a Nightmare

As anxious as Zorro was to return to the hacienda, he kept Toronado to a walk as they headed for home. He was frustrated and tired, and knew that Toronado must be just as tired after a half a day and full night of riding. If it wasn't for the fact that he had been in the saddle since yesterday afternoon, he would continue his search for Stephano Mercado. He was reasonably sure that the bandit he caught at the hacienda was somehow related to Stephano, probably a brother judging by the resemblance between the two. If that was indeed the case, then there was no doubt that Stephano would try to free his brother from the cuartel, which meant that there was work yet for Zorro.

As they walked, Zorro thought about the events of last night, a clearer picture forming in his head of what Stephano had been up to. It was a complicated scheme and he couldn't help but admire the planning of it. Stealing the tax money had been a distraction aimed directly at him. But the stampede and cattle rustling must have been a distraction directed at the vaqueros and any spare men at the hacienda. Which meant that the real target must have been the hacienda.

A new wave of frustration came over him as he thought about it. It had been pure luck that he had arrived at the hacienda as the bandits were attacking. He had been returning from leaving at the cuartel the two bandits he had caught stealing cattle. He had been a little bit surprised that Felipe was not waiting for him, but had his mind on finding something to eat and catching a few hours of sleep before resuming his search. He had just pulled off his gloves when he heard the gunshots.

A quick look through the view hole had shown him what was going on, so he re-mounted Toronado and raced to the front of the hacienda. One of the banditos had been in the courtyard keeping watch and Zorro quickly dispatched of him. Another gunshot hastened him inside, to find three more bandits inside. One was already on the floor, dead, with a third about to kill one of the stable boys, who held a pistol, but was frozen in terror as the bandit advanced on him. Felipe, the cook Maria, and her assistant Teresa, had a fourth cornered. They seemed to have that one under control for now, so Zorro focused his attention on helping the frightened stable boy.

The fight did not last long. Within moments, Zorro knew the man was enraged and not making rational decisions. It had been easy to fight through the man's defenses and lay him out with one well aimed punch. When he turned back to the last one, the man was already racing out the door. Zorro let him go.

"Z-Zorro!" Teresa gasped when she saw the masked man.

Zorro tried to give her a reassuring smile as he knelt down next to Marco and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Are you alright?"

The boy swallowed hard but gave Zorro a nod.

"Good," Zorro said. "Felipe, find some rope for this one and the one outside."

Felipe raced out the door.

Maria took Teresa by the elbow and then helped Marco to his unsteady feet. "Gracias, Senor Zorro. I was afraid they going to kill us all."

"Where are the men…all of the hands, Don Alejandro and Don Diego?"

"Gone, Senor. There was a stampede and Don Alejandro went to help the men round up strays. He tried to find Don Diego to help, but he wasn't here. They took every available man."

Zorro nodded, his jaw tightening in anger. So the de la Vega herd was also stampeded. _'How many more herds were targeted? How many other lives were put in danger?'_ he wondered.

Felipe returned with rope and spent the next few minutes helping Zorro tie up the unconscious man in the library and the one in the courtyard. They also moved the body of the dead man out to the courtyard. When they were safely outside and away from the women and Marco, Zorro pulled Felipe aside.

"Felipe, I want you to take Marco home while I take these men to town."

Felipe motioned that he could take the men, but Zorro shook his head.

"I don't know how many more of them there are out there, Felipe. They may try to rescue their friends here." At Felipe's question he let the boy know what had been going on. "I caught two of them earlier tonight, and with these three it makes five. I found a camp last night that had tracks of at least a dozen men."

Felipe looked concerned as he motioned at the hacienda.

"I know. I wish my father was here, but it can't be helped. And I don't think they will be back here. If anything, they will try to help the men I arrested earlier, and now these men, escape." Zorro glanced around the dark hacienda. The sun would be up shortly and he hoped it would be enough of a detraction from trying the hacienda again. "Take Marco home, Felipe, but hurry back here. I will be back as soon as I can. Have some food waiting for me if you can. I will need to continue looking for the rest of them as soon as the sun is up."

Now, as Zorro neared the cave, he tried to stretch tired muscles. His ribs were sore, but manageable. The sun was already partially up, but he would still take some time to water and feed Toronado, and hopefully himself as well, before going after Stephano. If his guess was correct and the man he had caught at the hacienda was Stephano's brother, he was sure there would be an attempt to release him from the cuartel. If so, Zorro would be ready, and he would finally put an end to Stephano's plans.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Hostage

The cave was dim and cool as Stephano and Joaquin stepped down into the main chamber. Sconces along the walls provided enough light to allow them to look around the large room. There was a large desk in the corner, and a table that held an assortment of bottles and flasks. A faint whiff of hay and manure led them to the stall on the other end of the room. They shared a confused look, then separated to explore the room.

Joaquin stopped to look at an assortment of swords and whips hanging on the wall. He reached up to pull an unadorned black hat from the wall. He twirled it in his hands as he thought. He held it up to Stephano.

"What do you think it means, Stephano?"

Stephano only shrugged as he absently examined the items on the work table. An idea was forming, but before he could voice his thoughts, a noise from the passage where they had entered silenced him. He waived Joaquin off to the side of the entry, out of sight of anyone entering. Stephano folded his arms and leaned against the table.

Felipe entered the cave with an armload of bread and cheese and a flask of water. When he saw Stephano he stopped in mid-stride, eyes wide, and moved to hastily re-trace his steps, only to be stopped by the point of Joaquin's sword. His head spun between the two men and the room as he looked for a way out.

Joaquin stared at the food in Felipe's hands, then grinned at Stephano. "I would say he is expecting someone."

Stephano nodded. He indicated for Felipe to put the food on the work table. Felipe hesitated a moment, but Joaquin's sword point hastened his steps. He carefully put the food down and the moment his hands were free, he broke into a run, jumping down the stair into Toronado's stall and turning for the cave entrance, his sandaled feet sliding in the soft dirt of the stall floor.

Stephano leapt after the boy, vaulting the small wood fence that separated the main room from the stall. The cave was much darker here, but he could easily see the white shirt of Diego's servant and reached a hand out to stop the boy, catching him around the collar just as the boy stomped his foot down on the floor. There was a ripping sound as the fabric tore, but Stephano kept a firm hold of the boy. He was momentarily stunned when the wall at the back of the short passage they were in slid open, in much the same manner as the door at the back of the fireplace did. The early morning sunlight came streaming into the cave, along with a cool breeze.

Stephano spun Felipe around and was about to speak when the boy swung a foot up, catching Stephano between the legs. He immediately collapsed to his knees, releasing his grip on Felipe, who tried to scramble away.

With a grunt of pain, Stephano reached out and caught the boy by the ankle, causing him to fall on the ground before him, but still struggling to escape, kicking out with his feet, even as the wall before them started to close once again.

"Joaquin!" Stephano called through clenched teeth.

Instantly, Joaquin was on his knees next to the struggling servant, using a length of fabric he found to secure the boy's hands. Once that was done, he tied Felipe's ankles together, which wasn't easy considering the boy was still lashing out frantically with his feet. Finally, though, it was done and the boy calmed, unable to struggle any further.

Stephano had to draw several deep breaths before he was able to speak, and even then, his voice was strained. "We aren't going to hurt you," he said to Felipe.

Felipe only glared at him.

Joaquin tried to hide the amusement from his voice when he asked Stephano, "Are you alright?"

Stephano shot his friend an angry look, but did not answer. "Do you understand what I am saying?" Stephano said slowly, gauging by the look in the boys eyes that the boy did understand, though he didn't like it. "We aren't here to hurt you," he repeated.

With a groan, Stephano got to his feet, and Joaquin moved Felipe over to the cave wall, allowing the boy to lean against it. The three stared at each other for a moment before Joaquin asked, "What are we going to do with him? We can't hang around here long. We still have to get Enrique out of the cuartel."

Stephano nodded as he stared at Felipe. An idea hit him as he looked at their prisoner. Pieces were beginning to fall into place. The swords, the horse stall, the black hat, and experiments. They all pointed to Zorro. He looked around the small enclosure, finding the trigger Felipe had used to open the cave entrance. As Felipe had done, he used his foot to press down and watched as the wall swung open. "Go through the hacienda and get our horses. Bring them around here, to the cave entrance. I have an idea. She's going to hate me, but I have an idea."

Joaquin looked at him quizzically. "Who is going to hate you?"

"Victoria," Stephano said quietly, watching a shocked expression come over Felipe's face. He looked over at Joaquin, but could tell his friend still didn't understand. "We don't have to get Enrique out of the cuartel, Zorro will do it for us."

"He will?"

"Si, he will. Just as soon as he realizes we have two of the people he cares about most. The boy and-"

"Victoria," Joaquin finished for him. "You're right, hermano, she is going to hate you for this."

Felipe sat on top of the small hill where the entrance to Zorro's cave was hidden. His hands were still bound behind his back, but his legs were free. For once, he was grateful for his muteness, since it did not force them to gag him. He breathed in the cool morning air, taking full, deep breaths and trying to settle his fear as Zorro had taught him to do.

The sun was well up now and despite his uncomfortable position, the warmth felt good on his face. Ever since he had wondered into the cave to find Stephano and Joaquin inside, a cold fear had gripped him and sent chills down his spine.

Even now, Felipe wondered how the pair had ever found the cave. Was he somehow careless and left the door open? Had they followed Zorro into the cave earlier? In the end, he didn't think it really mattered now. They had found it and they were going to use Felipe to get to Zorro. It was his worst nightmare come to life.

Felipe heard Stephano step next to him, but didn't turn to look at the bandito, even when the man said his name. Only when he felt Stephano kneel down next to him did he turn to look at his captor.

"He's coming."

Felipe knew he was referring to Zorro and felt a shudder of fear run through him. Stephano seemed to notice.

"I don't know if you understand me or not…but I promise you, I won't hurt you. And if you cooperate, I won't hurt Die-Zorro, either. And I certainly won't harm Victoria. All I want is my brother back, and we will leave. No one will get hurt."

Felipe ignored him, his eyes scanning for Zorro. If there was some way he could warn him…Stephano put a hand on Felipe's shoulder and gave it a gentle but firm squeeze.

"Please, Felipe, don't do anything rash or stupid. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I promise no one will be hurt if you stay calm and cooperate."

Felipe scowled, but gave a short nod, to indicate that he understood.

Stephano grabbed his shirt front and hauled the young man to his feet. "Good," he said. "Now stand here and don't move."

Felipe heard the sound of hoof beats and knew Zorro had returned. He swallowed back a new wave of fear as he looked down on the cave entrance. Zorro spotted Felipe on top of the hill as soon as he came around the corner toward the cave entrance. Unfortunately, he also saw Stephano and the pistol he held at the same time. He pulled Toronado up short, causing the horse to prance in annoyance. _'Toronado's ready for this awful night to be over, too,' _Felipe thought glumly.

"Zorro," Stephano said. He never actually pointed the gun at Felipe, but he made sure Zorro saw the weapon and knew what he could do, if needed. He kept his other hand on the back of Felipe's neck, but his grip was relaxed.

Zorro did not respond, but kept his eyes on Felipe, asking a silent question which Felipe understood immediately. _'Are you alright?' _The boy gave a small nod in response. _'For now.'_

"Funny thing," Stephano called down to the masked man, "what you run across in these old haciendas. Hidden compartments, secret passages, duel identities."

Felipe admired Zorro's control. Other than a tightening of the jaw, Zorro made no reaction. He simply sat on Toronado's back, waiting.

"I understand that you took my brother to the cuartel."

Zorro still made no response. Felipe let his eyes drift to the ground below him. It would be a long jump down, but if he timed it right and rolled as soon as he hit the ground in front of the cave, he thought he could manage without breaking any bones. If he could just get away, he knew Zorro could take care of himself. He shifted his weight slightly, mentally preparing himself to pull away and jump.

Stephano sensed the movement and immediately clamped down on Felipe's neck. It felt like a vice around his neck and Felipe winced in pain.

"Don't even think about it, kid," Stephano hissed. "If you try to jump and break a leg and make me break my promise of no one getting hurt, I won't be happy."

Zorro watched the exchange and didn't try to hide the anger in his voice when he called out, "And I promise you, senor, if you harm a hair on his head, this will be the last sunrise you ever see."

Felipe was slightly surprised at that. Diego, who held every human life precious, no matter how despicable the person may be, did not make threats like that very often, even when behind the mask of Zorro. He had to swallow around a sudden lump in his throat.

"You bring me back my brother, and I will give the boy back to you. Unharmed."

"Your brother is probably locked in a cell by now."

"Then you will get him out of that cell."

Felipe watched the battle of wills as the two men stared at each other. Toronado was still prancing, but Zorro kept him under control for the most part. Felipe knew that both of them must be exhausted by now. The two mile ride back to town would be dangerous, to say nothing of the danger of breaking a criminal out of the cuartel. It was dangerous enough to try when Zorro was not hungry, tired, and angry. Very angry. Felipe could feel it all the way up on the hill.

"If you need extra motivation, you should know that I also have V-Victoria safely tucked away until I get my brother back."

Felipe looked at the man in surprise. There was a complete lack of anger in his voice. In fact, it almost sounded like…regret.

"Victoria," Zorro repeated.

"She won't be harmed, or the boy either. I just want my brother back. Then we will leave this place and you will never hear from us again, I give you my word." There was a note of pleading now. Felipe wondered what was happening in the mind of the man that held him.

"Your word?" Zorro practically spat the words as he shook his head. "Where is she?"

"Have my brother out of the cuartel by noon. I will let you know where to find them when I have my brother back."

"You don't really expect me to just let your brother go, without seeing that both of them are safe, do you?"

Felipe shifted his attention back and forth between the two men. Stephano still had an iron grip on his neck, but he was able to move just enough to watch them both closely.

Stephano watched Zorro in silence. "No," he finally said. "Bring Enrique to our camp and I will turn them over to you. It is just outside the pueblo, near the-"

"I know where it is," Zorro said abruptly.

Stephano seemed surprised at that and pressed his lips together tightly. "Fine," he said. "Be there by noon." With that he pulled Felipe back, causing the boy to stumble slightly. Stephano caught him by the arm and helped him to keep his feet, but didn't turn around to look at Zorro. When they were clear of the hill top, Felipe heard Toronado's hoof beats retreating back out of the little arroyo and he sighed in relief. At least no one had been hurt.

Stephano heard them as well and stopped. "He found our camp, he stopped us from stealing the tax money and most of the cattle, _and_ he caught my brother trying to rob your hacienda. How does one man do all that in one night?" Stephano seemed genuinely amazed.

Felipe just shrugged. Sometimes even he was amazed at what Zorro could do.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Jail Break

Felipe was right, Zorro's anger was palpable. He rode back to toward the pueblo, cursing himself the whole way. He should have stayed at the hacienda. He could have left the bandits tied up in a shed until his father got home. He should have known Stephano would show up sooner or later, whether it was to help his brother or not did not matter. He should have known.

And Victoria. He should have found the time to warn Victoria that Stephano was up to no good. He let her fall under his spell, willingly walking into a trap she had no idea was about to be sprung. But he should have known better. He should have protected her. And Felipe.

Despite his anger, Zorro kept Toronado to an easy canter, refusing to take out his frustration on his horse. It had been a long day and night, and Toronado was just as tired as he was, but it was shaping up to be another long day. It was better to save both of their energy until necessary.

As he approached the pueblo, he circled around so he could enter the pueblo from behind the tavern. His first priority was to check for Victoria, with the slim hope that Stephano was bluffing. He knew it was a long shot, but he also wanted to check to see if there were any signs of a struggle. If there was any evidence at all that Victoria had been hurt…well, he couldn't dwell on that now. He was already in danger of letting his anger cloud his judgment.

The door at the back of the tavern was unlocked but he stopped to listen for any sound from within. He heard nothing, so slipped inside quietly. He had just closed the door when the curtain between the kitchen and dining room flipped open to reveal Pilar, one of the girls that helped Victoria.

"Senor Zorro!" the girl exclaimed. She had a look halfway between shock and awe on her face.

Zorro gave the girl a slight bow. "Buenas Dias, senorita," he said to her. "Have you seen Victoria this morning?"

Pilar shook her head. "No, senor. But she left a note for me. It said she left on personal business and that she wouldn't be back until late."

Zorro's jaw clenched. He looked around the small kitchen, but nothing seemed disturbed.

"Was everything…all right here this morning when you arrived?" At the girl's confused look, he went on. "Was anything out of place?"

"No, senor Zorro."

"Gracias," Zorro said as he slipped out the back door. It was best not to linger, too long, in case Pilar had sent for additional help. He mounted Toronado in a smooth motion and debated his next move. He had no desire to free the bandit's brother, but unless he came up with a better plan, and quickly, he may have to do just that.

He was about to lead Toronado behind the mission church when a disturbance rose in the plaza. He could hear men yelling, followed quickly by gunfire. _'What now,'_ he thought as he tried not to roll his eyes. He once again dismounted and crept around the side of the church, keeping to what morning shadows he could.

The plaza was in chaos. Six or seven men on horseback were harassing the soldiers, trying to force their way into the cuartel. The soldiers, most of them only half dressed, looked confused and disorderly, but were managing so far to keep the men out of the garrison. Zorro spotted Mendoza trying to rally his men into some kind of order, but Zorro knew it was only a matter of time before the riders succeeded in getting inside.

_'Probably trying to free their friends,' _Zorro thought. He knew these men must be the rest of Stephano's gang, and assumed that the man he had allowed to escape at the hacienda had alerted them to their friends being captured.

He didn't have a chance to think about it any further as a loud explosion rocked the pueblo. Smoke and debris immediately billowed up from the back of the cuartel where the armory was. The soldiers, completely panicked now, scattered like mice and several of the mounted men made it into the cuartel gates before they closed. Quickly dismounting, they disappeared inside. After several minutes, more gunfire could be heard inside the cuartel. Zorro was about to circle around to enter the cuartel from the rear and help the overwhelmed soldiers, when the men emerged. They were followed by the four men Zorro had captured the night before. Within moments the men were mounting their horses, a few of them having to double up with the new men. The riders scattered, heading out of the little pueblo. Luis Ramon had followed the men out of the jail and was the only man in the cuartel that bothered to fire at the retreating backs of the banditos. All of the other soldiers were either busy trying to put out the fire at the back of the cuartel or milling around in confusion.

Zorro did not wait around to see anymore. He raced back to Toronado, leaping onto the horse and headed him in the same direction the bandits took. "At least we don't have to break him out of jail now," he said to Toronado as he urged the horse after them.

Stephano paced impatiently back and forth in front of the wagon that held a bound and still Felipe and a bound and angry Victoria. He could feel her eyes on him as he walked, but didn't dare to look in her direction. Her eyes felt like daggers between his shoulders.

He had sent Joaquin back to the pueblo, to unknowingly help Zorro get Enrique out of the cuartel. He was to set up some kind of diversion, anything that would allow the masked man to get Enrique out of there without bloodshed. That was his one stipulation. Whatever Joaquin did, it was imperative that no one be hurt. There had been enough loss of life already.

"You're making me dizzy!" Victoria snapped.

Stephano stopped his pacing and finally looked over at her. Her hands, like Felipe, were bound behind her back, but he had left her feet free. He was careful not to get within kicking distance of either one of them.

The two stared at each other for several minutes before Victoria looked away, tears forming in her eyes. He could tell she was angry, but wasn't prepared for tears.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. It was the only thing he could think of to say to her, even though he knew it was nowhere near enough.

Victoria just shook her head, refusing to look at him again. "Why?" she asked. "Why are you doing this?"

Stephano had no good answer, so he told her in the simplest way he knew how. "He is my brother, Victoria. I couldn't leave him to die in there. Whatever he has done, he is still my brother."

"You didn't have to use us to get him out. You could have done it yourself!"

"I promise, no one will get hurt. As soon as Zorro brings him-"

"No one will get hurt? How do you know that? What about Zorro? Do you think the alcalde will just let him walk in there and free your foolish brother?"

Stephano made no comment. In truth, he hadn't thought of that until after he had sent Zorro after Enrique. Which is why he sent Joaquin to follow and create some kind of diversion.

"Victoria, I'm sorry. This isn't the way any of this was supposed to happen."

Victoria's eyes turned sad. "None of this should have happened at all," she said quietly. "I trusted you."

"Victoria, please-" He was interrupted by the sound of a rider approaching. Stephano grabbed the pistol from his sash and waited.

Joaquin came into view and Stephano relaxed, placing the pistol back into his sash. He gave Victoria a last desperate look, and went to meet Joaquin.

"You will not believe what happened, Stephano."

Stephano felt a rock drop in the pit of his stomach. "Enrique…?"

"He's fine. Well, as fine as he can be at the moment. Zorro has him trussed up like a Christmas goose." Joaquin laughed, but immediately saw that Stephano didn't share his enthusiasm and let the laugh die. "They are heading this way. He can't be more than ten minutes behind me."

Stephano nodded. "So what happened?"

Joaquin let his grin return. "Jose and the men, they came back. When I got to the pueblo, they were attacking the cuartel, so I set up a little diversion to help them out."

"No one was hurt?"

"No, no. I borrowed some gunpowder from the armory and set a little explosion. All of the soldiers were busy fighting off Jose and the men, no one was anywhere near where I set the fuse."

Stephano nodded absently. "Jose and the men, they got away?"

Joaquin shrugged. "Sort of. They got our men out of the jail, but Zorro caught up with them rather quickly. Of course, Enrique had stopped to argue with Jose, otherwise they may have had a chance to escape."

Stephano looked alarmed. "He didn't catch them all?"

"No," Joaquin said. "Of course not. I couldn't get close enough to hear exactly what he said, but Zorro must have said something to put a fire under them. They scattered like mice. Except for Enrique, of course. He knocked him senseless in one punch, tied him hand and feet, tossed him over a horse and…" a huge smile came over his face, "…put a nice 'Z' on the seat of Enrique's trousers. I could hear your brother yelling at Zorro for miles."

Stephano was in no mood to revel in his brother's well-deserved misery. He looked back over at Victoria but led Joaquin a short distance from the wagon.

"Joaquin, when Zorro gets here, I want you to stay with Victoria and the boy in the wagon," he said quietly. "If nothing goes wrong, I will have you free them. But if Zorro tries anything, I want you to make sure they stay out of harms way."

Joaquin nodded, but Stephano grabbed his arm and gave him a stern look. "I mean it, Joaquin, no matter what happens, you are to stay with them and make sure nothing happens. Take the wagon and go if you have to."

"I won't let him arrest you, Stephano." Joaquin said through clenched teeth.

"I can take care of myself. Just make sure they are safe."

The two men stared at each other, exchanging silent words. Joaquin did not look convinced, but he finally gave a short nod and turned away. He climbed up onto a nearby rock formation that looked out toward the road, keeping watch for their expected guests.

Stephano wandered back to the wagon, lost in thought. When he got close, Victoria snapped at him.

"Why don't you let us go?"

"As soon as Zorro brings me my brother, I will."

"He won't let you go without a fight, Stephano. You know that." Her voice took on a note of pleading. "You and your brother are wanted criminals. He _can't_ just let you go."

Stephano watched her for several moments. "I won't hurt him, Victoria, I promise. None of your friends will be hurt," he said with a look over at Felipe. "I know you care about him very much. And that he cares about both of you-" Stephano stopped abruptly as he saw Felipe's eyes go wide in alarm.

Victoria didn't seem to notice Felipe's reaction or that Stephano stopped mid-sentence. "Zorro cares about everyone," she snapped. "I know why you are using me, but why _did_ you bring poor Felipe into this mess? He has not done anything to you."

Stephano's mouth opened to speak, but Felipe was still staring at him, his eyes pleading. He clamped his lips in confusion, but before he could organize his thoughts, Joaquin called down from his perch on the rocks.

"They are here!"


	18. Chapter 18

_I feel I should offer a bit of warning that this chapter is a little dark and violent. I tried to re-write it several times, but in the end left it as is. Sometimes you just have to go where the story takes you…_

Chapter Eighteen

Camp Encounter

As he approached the camp, Zorro slowed Toronado and brought the horse that carried the bandito up next to him. He looked down at the man slung over the saddle of the horse in disgust.

"I'm going to kill you for this, senor," the man growled at him. He was twisting and struggling against his bonds, but Zorro had secured him to the horse well and he had no hope of escape.

"You'll find I am a little harder to kill than some poorly trained lancers."

"We'll see."

Zorro shook his head as he continued into the camp. High rocks surrounded the camp and Zorro examined them carefully for any signs of bandits before he entered the area. As he did so, he spotted the wagon where Felipe and Victoria were held, Stephano's friend standing over them. He saw a pistol stuck in the waist of the bandit's pants, but no other weapon was visible.

As he pulled Toronado to a stop, he saw Stephano himself, on the far side of the small clearing. He too had a pistol tucked in his sash, but Zorro knew he kept a knife tucked in his sleeve as well.

"I've brought your brother, now release them," Zorro said without preamble.

Stephano eyed the masked man wearily, but shook his head. "Let him go first. And untie his feet so he can walk."

For a moment, Zorro considered arguing, but decided the quicker he got Victoria and Felipe away from here the better. And the only way to do that was to do as Stephano requested. He dismounted Toronado and using his knife, cut the rope that held Enrique on the horse loose. Enrique immediately slipped off of the horse, but due to his tied hands and feet, as well as being slung across a saddle for several miles, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The bound man cursed at Zorro and tried to scramble to his feet, without success. "It will be my pleasure to kill you slowly, Zorro," Enrique screamed.

"Shut up, Enrique!" Stephano yelled at his brother.

Enrique held his tongue but shot angry glances at Zorro.

"Untie his feet, senor Zorro," Stephano called. He also gave a quick nod to Joaquin, who bent to untie Victoria and Felipe.

Zorro watched Joaquin free first Victoria, then Felipe, and moved to Enrique, who kicked out at him as soon as he was near. Zorro easily side stepped the kick.

"Enrique, do you want to be free or not?" Stephano asked impatiently.

Again, Enrique quieted and Zorro knelt, his knife flicking quickly through the ropes binding the bandit's feet. He expected another kick as soon as the ropes were free and he pushed backward and leapt to his feet. Sure enough, the booted foot shot out at him and caught him a glancing blow on his already sore ribs.

Victoria, free of the ropes let out a gasp and moved forward, but Joaquin caught her by the arms and prevented her from going any further. She turned concerned eyes to Zorro.

"Are you ok, Victoria?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied, though her voice was shaky. "I'm fine, they didn't hurt us."

Zorro looked over at Felipe, who also nodded.

"Get up, Enrique," Stephano told his brother. He waited while Enrique made his way to his feet and staggered over to him. "You are a fool, Enrique," Stephano hissed as soon as his brother was close enough to hear. "I should have left you in the cuartel."

Stephano pulled his knife and cut the ropes that bound his brother's hands. He turned to tell Joaquin to let Victoria go when Enrique pushed him away and pulled Stephano's pistol at the same time, aiming it at Zorro's back.

Victoria was so relieved to see Zorro safe and sound, that she ignored the interaction between Stephano and his brother, her eyes glued to the man she loved. She felt Joaquin release her arms and immediately moved to go to Zorro, who had stepped forward to help her out of the wagon. She gasped when she felt Joaquin pull her back abruptly as he launched himself over the side of the wagon.

"Zorro, look out!" Joaquin yelled as he shoved Zorro hard to the side.

Victoria heard the gunshot at the same time Joaquin's feet hit the ground, the force of the bullet slamming him backwards into the side of the wagon with a solid thud. Her hand covered her mouth in shock as she watched him slide slowly to the ground.

She went to the back of the wagon and jumped down, Felipe helping her. She ran to the wounded man just as Zorro was kneeling next to him as well. She was dimly aware of a scuffle taking place between Stephano and his brother, angry shouts coming from that direct, but she paid no attention, focusing instead on Joaquin and Zorro.

Joaquin's eyes were blinking rapidly, as if he was trying to figure out how he had ended up on the ground, but his breathing was already ragged and labored. A red stain was forming on his shirt over his stomach, quickly growing bigger. Swallowing hard, she looked over at Zorro and could tell by his look that the wound was fatal.

With a shaking hand, Joaquin reached up to touch Victoria's arm. "Forgive him, Victoria," he whispered. "Stephano is blind…when it comes to his brother."

Victoria did not respond, only nodded her head mutely. There was a cry of pain from the two brothers, but when she looked over at them they were both on the ground, fighting, and she couldn't tell which one had been hurt. She felt Zorro rise next to her and heard the scrape of metal as he drew his sword, but he was stopped by Joaquin's hand on the hem of his cape.

"Let them fight…Zorro…it has been…a long time coming," Joaquin panted out weakly. His hand dropped from the cape, but Zorro did not move. Victoria watched as his jaw clinched, but he knelt back down next to the wounded man.

After what seemed like an eternity, his eyes fluttered shut and his breathing became very shallow. Victoria felt warm tears run down her cheeks and she wiped a hasty hand across her face. When a shadow fell over them, she looked up to see Stephano standing over them. The front of his shirt was covered with blood from a wound in his shoulder and he was covered in dust and dirt, but his eyes were glued to his friend.

Zorro rose once again and Stephano immediately took his place beside Joaquin. He took his friend's hand in his own and softly whispered, "Hermano."

Victoria watched as Zorro walked over to where Enrique lay in the dirt. She turned back to Stephano to see a single tear run down his face and drip into the dirt next Joaquin. When Zorro returned, he knelt down and put a hand on Joaquin's chest, but Victoria knew he would feel no movement there.

"My brother is dead?" Stephano asked.

Victoria wondered for a moment if Stephano meant Enrique or Joaquin, but when Zorro's deep voice said "Yes" she knew it didn't matter. Both men that Stephano considered a brother were dead.

The three of them remained kneeling around Joaquin for some time, until Felipe finally grabbed Zorro by the shoulder and shook to get his attention. Zorro rose as Felipe frantically signed and pointed toward the road. Victoria couldn't concentrate enough to understand what Felipe was saying, but Zorro evidently did. He nodded as he turned to Victoria.

"A patrol of lancers is coming this way. They probably followed me from the cuartel."

Victoria swallowed the lump in her throat. "You had better go."

Zorro hesitated, unsure if he should leave her alone with two dead men and a wanted bandit. "Victoria…"

She seemed to understand his hesitation and stood up next to him. She grabbed his hands in her own. "Go, I will be fine."

Still, Zorro hesitated and Felipe looked worried as the lancers got closer.

"Go," Stephano said from the ground as he squinted up at Zorro. "You don't have to worry about me. I am through running."

Again, Victoria saw him clench his jaw, but he made up his mind. Zorro gave her hands a soft squeeze, then ran to Toronado and mounted in one swift motion. He left in the opposite direction of the lancers.

The lancers, led by Mendoza, entered the little clearing a few minutes later. Stephano was still kneeling next to his friend, and Mendoza looked around in confusion. "What happened here?" he asked no one in particular.

"It's a long story, Mendoza," Victoria said, he exhaustion plain in her voice.

"Who killed these men?"

Victoria opened her mouth to speak, but Stephano interrupted her as he rose unsteadily to his feet. His face was pale and drawn, and beads of sweat were running along his cheeks. "I did," he said. "You had better arrest me now, sergeant." He held out his hands in surrender, but before Mendoza could do anything, Stephano's eyes rolled up and his knees gave out. Victoria was unable to catch him before he fell to the ground with a thud.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

An Appointment With the Gallows

Stephano leaned back against the cool adobe of the jail cell wall. He felt in turns like he was going to burn up or freeze to death. Of the two, he currently preferred burning up. At least then, he wasn't wracked by shivering that sent waves of pain through his shoulder. He let his eyes fall closed, though he knew there was some danger that if he fell asleep, he would not wake up, or worse, he would wake only long enough to feel the hangman's noose on his neck.

He did not remember much of the journey to the cuartel in the back of the wagon, only a brief moment when he opened his eyes to see Victoria looking down at him, sadness in her eyes as she said, "You lied to me. You promised none of my friends would be hurt."

As he sat in the cell, he puzzled on the comment. Had Zorro somehow been hurt? He thought he vaguely remembered Zorro riding away before the soldiers arrived, but his mind felt foggy and he wondered if perhaps the soldiers gave chase and actually caught him. But, no, they never caught Zorro. What friend, then, was Victoria referring to?

He didn't have a chance to contemplate it further as he heard angry voices coming from the alcalde's office, and Stephano managed a small smile when he recognized Victoria's voice. He rose unsteadily to his feet as he heard the lock turn in the door. He had to hold onto the bars of the cell to keep his feet, but was waiting when Victoria was escorted into the cells by Sergeant Mendoza and a scowling alcalde. With some shock, he saw Diego slowly trailing after, his eyes locking onto Stephano's as soon as he entered. Diego did not look happy.

"Stephano," Victoria said. Her eyes went to his wounded shoulder and she paled at the sight of the dried blood.

"You have ten minutes, senorita. No longer," the alcalde said, spinning around to leave.

"He needs a doctor, alcalde!" she protested to his retreating back.

"For what?" Louis Ramon said as he turned slowly back to Victoria. The smile on his face made a shiver run up her spine. "He has an appointment with the gallows at dawn. What is the point of having a doctor fix that wound if he is going to die anyway in a matter of hours?"

Victoria had no reply. She knew from experience how uncaring the alcalde could be, but was still shocked by the alcalde's callousness.

"If he dies before morning, you won't have the pleasure of hanging him, alcalde," Diego said quietly.

It had the intended affect on the alcalde, who stared at Diego for a moment, an internal struggle obviously taking place. He looked back and forth between Diego and Stephano, weighing the odds of his prisoner dying before he could get him to the gallows.

Next to the prisoners that had been delivered by Zorro that morning was the stack of wanted posters from the alcalde's own desk. From those posters, Ramon had realized that one of the prisoners was Enrique Mercado, the son of a bandit that plagued southern California some years ago known as El Cuchillo Negro. And now he had the oldest son of the bandit in his jail and the younger son at the pauper's cemetery, about to be buried. Hanging the son of an infamous criminal like El Cuchillo Negro, who is himself an infamous criminal, would certainly win him favor in the eyes of the governor.

Ramon grabbed Mendoza by the collar and pushed him toward the door. "Very well. Mendoza, go get Dr. Hernandez." The alcalde followed the shocked sergeant to the door, but turned around to sneer back at Victoria. "You now have eight minutes, Senorita," he said before disappearing through the door, which slammed shut behind him.

Victoria gave Diego a grateful look which the caballero did not return. His eyes were still on Stephano who was now leaning against the bars of the cell heavily. Diego's arms were crossed over his chest as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, but he did not speak.

"You shouldn't be here, Victoria," Stephano whispered. He felt Diego's stare, but kept his focus on Victoria. His head was swimming from the loss of blood, but he held onto the bars of the cell for support.

"I had to come see you. I have to know the truth."

Victoria's stare was direct and intense, and Stephano wanted to take a step back, but was afraid he would fall if he let go of the bars.

"Tell me, Stephano. Please, I need to know…Is it true, what the alcalde is saying?"

Stephano's eyes flicked to Diego, but the caballero did not seem inclined to contribute to the conversation. _'Probably for the best,'_ Stephano thought. He turned his attention back to Victoria.

"I don't know what he has said, Victoria," Stephano said. At Victoria's scowl, he went on. "But I can imagine what he is saying. About my father?"

Victoria nodded. When Stephano looked away she got her answer. "Then it _is_ true," Victoria whispered. He saw the tears forming in her eyes and Stephano winced.

"That my father was the bandito El Cuchillo Negro? Si, that part is true. But it isn't what you think-"

"You lied to me!"

The accusation in her voice stung, but Stephano reached through the bars with his good arm, trying to put a comforting hand on Victoria, but he saw out of the corner of his eye that Diego took a defensive step forward just as Victoria shrunk back away from him. He let his hand fall.

"I didn't lie to you, Victoria. I admit that I didn't tell you the whole truth, but I never lied."

"A lie of omission is still a lie," she said softly.

Stephano nodded as he gave Diego a pointed look, making sure the caballero had heard the comment. "Si, I suppose it is."

The silence stretched for a few moments before Stephano spoke again, his voice low, though he knew Diego could still hear. "I never meant to hurt you, Victoria, I swear. Please believe me."

Victoria shook her head. "I don't know what to believe," she said as she turned away from him. "The alcalde has vowed to see you hang in the morning. The things he's said you've done…"

Stephano wanted to laugh with frustration. "I'm a thief, Victoria. I admit to that. But whatever else he says I've done…I haven't killed any-" He stopped abruptly as a picture of Enrique came to mind. His knees suddenly felt weak and he had to grip the bars tighter to keep upright. "I didn't kill those soldiers, Victoria."

Victoria turned back toward Stephano and gave him a last look before shaking her head and fleeing out the door.

Diego stared at Stephano for a moment before following her out.

Stephano let his hands release the bars as the ache in his shoulder overtook him and he slid to the floor. "I'm not dead, yet, Victoria." He whispered to the empty room. "I have no intention of keeping that appointment." He let his eyes drift closed.

_ZZZ_

The pre-dawn light cast an eerie glow on the landscape as Zorro emerged once again from the cave, riding for Los Angeles. The moon, only half-full, was just beginning to set, but provided ample light for him to clearly see. This time, as he rode, Zorro he felt none of the urgency from the previous days. In truth, he wasn't sure what exactly he was going to do once he reached the pueblo. The alcalde was determined to see Stephano Mercado hang as quickly as possible. While there was no doubt about Stephano's guilt, he had admitted to being a thief to Victoria the previous day, Zorro wasn't sure his true crimes warranted hanging. And he couldn't allow the alcalde to sentence Stephano to the gallows without as much as a trial.

It led to a difficult decision. He wasn't in the habit of freeing guilty men, but he also wouldn't allow Luis Ramon to subvert the law for his own glory. And that was exactly what this was; Ramon wanted the prestige and notoriety that would go along with capturing and hanging the son of El Cuchillo Negro.

The problem was, Ramon could twist the law as he pleased since there was no one that outranked him that was close enough to interfere. If Stephano had any hope of a fair trial, Zorro would have to find a way to either get an impartial judge to Los Angeles, or get Stephano to an impartial judge. As he rode, he made a mental note to ask his father if he knew if any of the territorial magistrates were in the area.

As he approached the pueblo, Zorro could tell immediately that something was wrong. Soldiers were rushing around preparing their mounts, and he could hear the angry shouts of the alcalde. He turned Toronado to the rear of the cuartel, quickly scaled the wall, and climbed onto the roof trying to get a better view of what was going on.

It took only a moment to realize that Stephano had somehow managed to escape. The gallows stood empty and even in the limited dawn light, Zorro could see the red-faced alcalde yelling orders to his men to find the escaped bandit. He waited until the patrol of lancers, led by Mendoza, rode out of the cuartel before he returned to his waiting horse. He sat on Toronado thinking for a few moments before he urged the horse toward the edge of the little town, behind the church where the small graveyard was. He couldn't say exactly why he went there, but as he stood over the two fresh and unmarked graves, he realized exactly where he would find the escaped bandit. Had he looked a little closer, he may have seen the small traces of blood, dotting the ground around the graves.

ZZZ

Zorro approached the small camp with the same level of caution that he had the previous day, though he knew there was much less at stake this time. Satisfied that there was no ambush waiting for him from the rocks, he dismounted and walked into the clearing.

A groan from the shadows among the rocks brought his attention around to that direction.

"I should have known you would show up sooner or later," a voice said quietly.

Zorro nodded as he stepped closer to the voice. As he did so, he could make out the figure of Stephano, sitting on the ground, his back to a large boulder. His shirt was torn and caked with dried blood, and beads of sweat ran down his face, despite the cool morning air. He held his left arm gently in his lap.

Zorro came to the wounded man and knelt, gently checking the wound in his shoulder. It was red and puffy, obviously becoming infected, but it was no longer bleeding. He looked at Stephano. "You said you were through running," he said.

Stephano shrugged then hissed in pain as he jostled his wounded shoulder. When he could speak, Zorro thought there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "I'm not running, Zorro. I'm sitting. Waiting."

An eyebrow, hidden behind the mask, rose. "Waiting?"

"To die," he responded. "It seems as good a place as any to do it. And it is much preferable to where your loco alcalde wanted me to die." He studied Zorro carefully for a moment. "Unless of course you plan on returning me to the jail?"

Zorro didn't respond at first, thinking about the answer. Finally, he let out a sigh and said, "I will take you somewhere safe, until I can…arrange for a fair trial for you."

"Hmmm," was the only response from Stephano as his eyes drifted closed. As Zorro moved to help get him up, Stephano's eyes flew open and he put his good hand on Zorro's shoulder. "In the end, it may be better to leave me here."

"I won't stand by and let you die, whether it is at the end of the alcalde's rope or otherwise."

Stephano looked like he wanted to protest, but decided against it. With Zorro's help, he rose, swaying slightly when he got to his feet.

"Can you ride?" Zorro asked.

"Well enough."

It took some effort, but Zorro finally got Stephano mounted. His shoulder began to bleed again, but other than putting a fresh cloth from his saddle bag on it, there wasn't much Zorro could do for it out here. He mounted his own horse and they slowly made their way toward the cave.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

A Fair Trial

The ride to the cave was quiet, Stephano concentrating on staying in the saddle, Zorro keeping an eye out for the patrols of lancers. They only had to stop once, hidden behind large boulders, while Mendoza's lancers went by. The rest of the journey was made in silence.

When Zorro had Stephano settled on the little cot in his cave, he went to the work table to put together a poultice. He slid off the sweaty mask so that he could see better, tossing it aside. The wounded man had been quiet with his eyes closed, and Diego had assumed he was asleep until the other man's voice echoed in the small cave.

"I won't tell him, you know."

Diego stopped what he was doing to look over at Stephano. "Who?"

"The alcalde. I won't tell him about any of this," he said gesturing around the room with his good arm. "Not even in exchange for my own freedom."

Diego watched Stephano carefully. "It is a trade the alcalde would gladly make, you know."

Stephano nodded. "I gathered as much. But I still wouldn't do it."

"Why?" Diego asked, genuinely curious.

"Because Victoria loves you," Stephano said. "And despite everything I have done to the contrary, I would never hurt her in that way."

Diego choked back an angry retort about Stephano not caring if Zorro was killed the previous day while freeing Enrique from the cuartel. If Enrique was to be a subject of discussion, then it would have to be Stephano that brought it up.

Stephano was silent for a moment, unsure if he should press the issue. In the end, he didn't and changed the subject. "He really is quite crazy, you know. The alcalde."

Diego gave him a look that told Stephano he was stating the obvious and went back to his work.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Stephano said very quietly, "I think perhaps my brother was insane as well."

That stopped what Diego was doing and he again turned his attention to the man on the cot. He sat on the stool next to the work table and continued to grind the ingredients he had gathered for the poultice. But his attention was now fully on Stephano. "Why?" he asked quietly.

Stephano shrugged and immediately regretted it as pain flared in his shoulder. He really had to remember not to do that anymore. At his wince of pain Diego reached for the flask of cactus tea, pouring some into a bowl and taking it over to Stephano.

"Drink it. It will help with the pain."

Stephano obeyed, but handed the bowl back with a scowl when he finished. "That is an awful concoction."

Diego nodded without comment and returned to his mortar and pestle.

"My abuela always added a little honey to her cactus tea. It made it a bit more palatable," Stephano said. When Diego still made no response, he sighed and went back to thinking about his brother. "He changed, after our father was killed. He was angry, hot tempered. And he held a grudge."

"How did your father die?" Diego asked. He was sure he already knew the answer, but thought he might be able to get answers to some of his other questions if he kept Stephano talking. And it might help take the wounded man's mind off of the pain he surely must be feeling.

"He was hung," Stephano said with a bit of irony in his voice. "The soldiers that captured him, they were not…kind. They pulled Enrique and I, even my grandmother who pretty much raised us, out of the house and made us watch the whole thing. He was only six. He didn't understand what was happening. But my grandmother and I, we knew exactly what was happening. She was a bit of a curandera…she used to help my father and his friends when one of them came home wounded or injured. She spouted curses at the soldiers the whole time my father was being led to the gallows. I think, perhaps, that is why Enrique hated soldiers so much. He saw all the venom my grandmother had aimed at them, and took up where she left off." He was quiet for a moment before he added, "I never should have sent him after that payroll."

The room was quiet except for the soft grinding sound as Diego worked.

"Why did you then?" he finally asked.

"I was trying to distract him from…doing what he did anyway."

"Attacking the hacienda," Diego guessed.

Stephano nodded.

"What did he possibly think he would gain by robbing us? Between the payroll, the tax money and the cattle, he would have gotten for more than he could have hoped to find anywhere in the hacienda."

Stephano stared at Diego as he thought before he answered. "I don't think you understand how much…weight…the de la Vega name holds." He hesitated, waiting to see if Diego would say anything, but when he was met with stoney silence, he went on. "We ran into a man, in San Diego, that had just come through Los Angeles. I don't know what you did for him, but he was quite vocal in his appreciation. He was a bit drunk and went on and on about Los Angeles and how kind and generous the de la Vegas were. How they had the largest rancho and grandest hacienda in all of California."

Diego rolled his eyes at that, but Stephano only gave a weak smile. "I dismissed it as the ramblings of a drunkard, but Enrique…something set him off. He nearly beat the man senseless, for no reason, before Joaquin and I could pull him off. I don't know…he just…" Finally he shook his head. "Like I said he held a grudge."

"A grudge? For what?"

There was more than a little anger in Zorro's voice, and it brought Stephano's head up sharply. "For being rich while he grew up poor. For having a family name that invoked pride and honor while his only invoked fear and shame." Stephano drew in a shaky breath and paused to consider. "I have no true idea, Diego. I think…I think maybe he was insane." He closed his eyes and let his head fall back onto pillows.

Zorro turned back to the table and scooped the paste he had made onto a square of linen. He was giving them both time to get their emotions under control. He poured more of the cactus tea into a bowel and grabbed the stack of bandages he had prepared. He took them all over to Stephano and gave the bowl to Stephano while he began to unwind the soiled bandages that currently covered the wound. Dr. Hernandez had done little more than stop the bleeding and bind the wound, under the alcalde's orders Diego was sure.

Stephano reached up to stop him. "I truly am sorry for everything that has happened."

Diego merely nodded as he cleaned the wound and prepared to apply the poultice. By the time he was done, he could see that Stephano was exhausted. Beads of sweat were forming along his brow and his face was once again flushed with fever.

"That wound is infected."

Stephano gave a tired nod.

"I will do what I can, but…"

"Thank you," came the muttered reply as Stephano's eyes flickered shut. Diego stood over the wounded man for several minutes before he went to finish changing his clothes.

ZZZ

Stephano's fever lasted for two days as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Diego and Felipe took turns watching the injured man, though Diego was careful to not leave Felipe alone with Stephano during the brief periods where he was awake. Not that the injured bandit could do much in his present condition, but Diego refused to take that risk. It was during one of these brief periods of wakefulness that Diego and Felipe were working on one of their experiments. Stephano lay quietly on the cot, watching. After some time, he spoke.

"Victoria doesn't know, does she?"

Felipe glanced briefly at the cot, then at Diego, who didn't respond right away.

Stephano looked at Felipe. "That's why you were so upset, when I was talking to Victoria in the wagon. You thought I was going to say something to her that would give away the secret."

Felipe didn't respond, but looked over at Diego for direction.

"Why don't you go see if you can find something for our…guest to eat?" Diego suggested.

Felipe took the hint and quickly left the cave, grateful to be away from this line of conversation.

"No, Victoria doesn't know."

Stephano shook his head in wonder. "I'm sure you have your reasons."

"Several, in fact." Diego's voice held an edge.

"Uh, huh. I can imagine." A small smile played at Stephano's lips. "Trying to protect her?" Diego gave him a sharp look and Stephano went on quickly. "I can't be the only fool that tried to use her against you."

Diego's jaw clenched, but he did not respond. He didn't have to, as Stephano realized it was probably more common an occurrence than Diego, or Zorro, cared to admit.

"You really should tell her the truth, Diego. I saw the way she looked at you in the tavern. She would probably be relieved to find learn that Diego and Zorro are on in the same."

"What are you talking about?"

"If you haven't noticed it, you are blind."

"She loves Zorro, not me. Besides, we're friends," Diego said carefully.

Stephano was about to give him a shrug, but thought better of it, putting a hand over his wounded shoulder. "She could handle the truth, if that's what you are worried about."

"Telling her would put us both in too much danger. As long as Victoria does not know Zorro's identity, she is protected. I won't risk her life to satisfy my own desire for a family."

Stephano thought about that for a few moments before speaking again. "Alright, but consider this. What puts Victoria at more risk? Being Zorro's lover-" he held up a hand when Diego tried to protest. "Or being the wife of quiet, un-assuming Don Diego de la Vega? As your wife, she would be here, in a well protected hacienda, not alone in a tavern two miles away."

Diego considered the argument. It had occurred to him before, but there was one large problem with it. "Victoria doesn't love me, she loves Zorro," he said again.

"Same thing," Stephano said with a hint of amusement. "Like I said, I saw they way she looked at you in the tavern."

Diego still looked skeptical.

Stephano relaxed into the cot, the conversation sapping his strength. "Just think about it, Diego, that's all I can ask," he said wearily.

Diego nodded absently. He continued his work for a few minutes before letting his gaze return to Stephano.

"According to my father, the territory magistrate is due in Santa Paula the day after tomorrow. I am going to ride to meet him and talk to him about your…situation. With any luck, I can convince him to return to Los Angeles with me."

Stephano nodded. "You still think I can get a fair trial?"

"Yes, as long as the alcalde doesn't hold all the power you should be treated fairly."

"And if they still wish to hang me?"

Diego had contemplated that possibility. While he did not believe Stephano's crimes warranted it, it was possible that the judge, even a fair one, could rule with the alcalde based solely on Stephano's heritage and reputation.

"More likely it will be a prison sentence of some sort."

"Oh, good," Stephano murmured. "I will finally get to see if Forteleza del Diablo is as picturesque on the inside as it is on the outside."

Diego had heard of the famous prison of course. Most of the occupants were political prisoners, men convicted of sedition and treason. However, there were also a few prisoners under a life sentence of one sort or another. The prison had a reputation for cruelty and most men sent into Devil's Fortress did not come back out alive.

Stephano sensed Diego's discomfort at the joke. "It doesn't really matter, Diego," he said softly. "Whether I live five days or fifty years, I am already under a life sentence." At Diego's quizzical look he added, "I will never forget what I did to my brother."

The cave grew quiet as each man was lost in thought. Finally, Stephano's eyes drifted shut and the darkness overtook him once again.

ZZZ

When Diego entered the cave the next morning, he was only half-surprised to find his guest was gone. He knew he was taking a chance by leaving the bandit alone overnight, but Stephano's fever had broken the night before and Diego knew he was out of immediate danger. Besides, both he and Felipe both needed the sleep.

For a moment he considered going after the bandit once again, but a piece of paper on the cot where Stephano had slept caught his eye. When he picked it up he saw that it was actually two pieces, each folded in half. On the first piece was his name, on the second was Victoria's.

With some hesitation, he opened the first one and read.

_Diego,_

_I apologize for my abrupt departure, but after our talk I decided it was easier to leave in this manner rather than wait for a judge to decide if I am to die in prison or at the end of a rope. I'm not sure either one of us would like the decision regardless of which one it is._

_I do promise you this much__, Diego. I will put my former life, as well as the specter of my father…and brother, behind me and start a new life. In this new life I sincerely hope there will be no need for us to meet again as enemies._

_Please consider my words regarding Victoria. I believe you do her, both of you actually, a disservice by hiding the whole truth from her._

_Stephano_

_P.S. Thanks for the loan of the horse._

As Diego read the last sentence, his eyes shot up to look into Toronado's stall. He let out a breath of relief when he saw the tall horse looking back at him. He tossed the letter onto his worktable with a shake of his head. The letter to Victoria he placed in his inner jacket pocket before returning to the hacienda. He quickly headed for the stables, to see which horse Stephano had 'borrowed'.


	21. Epilogue

Epilogue

Victoria's Outlaws

Zorro delivered Stephano's letter to Victoria that night. He entered through the window in the kitchen, waiting until Victoria sensed his presence before dropping to the floor lightly.

"Zorro!" Victoria breathed. "I was wondering when I would see you again."

Zorro smiled. "I've been rather busy lately."

A look of sadness passed over her face. "Chasing anyone I know?" she asked softly.

Zorro considered the question for a moment before answering. "Not chasing…not exactly."

"He isn't…" She stopped, unable to ask if Stephano was dead.

"No," Zorro answered. He pulled the letter out and handed it to her. "He left this for you."

"Left it? Then he is gone?"

Zorro nodded.

"And you aren't going after him?"

He hesitated only a moment before answering. "No."

Victoria stood before him blinking, surprised by his answer. She felt some relief, even though it was tinged with some regret. She was still angry at Stephano for his deception and for trying to hurt her friends, but Joaquin's last words to her about forgiving Stephano echoed in her ears. She tucked the letter into her skirt pocket.

"Aren't you going to read it?" Zorro asked.

Victoria pursed her lips and shook her head. "No, not yet. I'm not sure if I forgive him."

Zorro gave her a knowing smile and small grin. He knew exactly how she felt. He took a few steps forward and took her hand in his own, placing a kiss on her wrist. "You will, Victoria. You have too forgiving a nature to hold a grudge."

She blushed slightly. "Perhaps." They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Victoria shook her head. "Why is it that I seem to have a talent for attracting handsome outlaws?"

Zorro flinched slightly, as Stephano's words about Victoria being used against him came back to him, but he shrugged it off as he leaned in to give her a light kiss. "Just remember that this outlaw loves you very much, Victoria."

"Oh, trust me, it is never very far from my mind," she said with a small laugh before pulling him into another kiss.

END

_I'm not sure at what point I decided to redeem Stephano, but his character sort of grew on me over the course of the story, so I decided to keep him around. I may even write another story with him in the near future – maybe we'll even find out what was in his letter to Victoria…_

_I had a ton of fun writing this, and I hope a few of you had fun reading it as well. (Let me know if you did, I would love to hear from you!) Until the next story, adios!_


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